2011-10-28 by The Tufts Daily

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Friday, October 28, 2011

VOLUME LXII, NUMBER 35

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Interdisciplinary programs prepare for review Tufts Greeks to hold community block party today by

Brionna Jimerson

Daily Editorial Board

by Victoria

Leistman

Contributing Writer

Tufts’ sororities and fraternities will today host the annual Greek Block Party, open to the entire Tufts community, at 1 p.m. on Professors Row between Curtis Street and Packard Avenue. All of the Greek houses will be holding events during the block party, according to sophomore Sarah Gottlieb, the Inter-Greek Council (IGC) vice president programming co-chair. Gottlieb, a member of Alpha Omicron Pi (AOII), said that the block party activities change each year based on recommendations made by representatives from each chapter during IGC meetings. “The block party is my favorite project this year,” she said. The tradition, which began in 2007, is an opportunity for members of Greek houses to reach out to the greater Tufts community, according to Gottlieb. The IGF is responsible for reserving and assigning block space to each of the chapters, according to IGC President Eric Swanson, a senior. Each house chooses an activity and then the IGC provides them with a booth or table, he said. This year’s block party will feature, among other activities, a barbecue by Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) and Zeta Psi that will take place outside of ATO at 134 Professors Row. Alpha Phi will host cupcake decosee BLOCK PARTY, page 2

Tufts will launch an external review of its interdisciplinary studies programs beginning in March 2012, according to Dean of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney. This marks the first time the university has conducted an external review of its interdisciplinary studies programs, Greg Carleton, director of the Center of Interdisciplinary Studies and associate professor of Russian literature, said. The Center of Interdisciplinary Studies administrates four of the university’s academic programs and is affiliated with 20 other interdisciplinary studies programs, including the Community Health, Biochemistry, Africa in the New World and International Relations Programs, among others. The review committee will examine the overall structure of interdisciplinary studies at Tufts rather than each program individually, Berger-Sweeney explained. “The idea isn’t to review specific programs, but to review our structure and how we support it,” she said. An external committee consisting of administrators and faculty members from Brown University, New York University and the University of Virginia will conduct the review, according to Berger-Sweeney. Dean of Academic Affairs James Glaser will lead the committee and select its membership, she said. “Dean Glaser is looking at particular individuals who had peak knowledge of interdisciplinary programs at those universities,” Berger-Sweeney said. As part of the evaluation, each interdisciplinary studies program will create a fact sheet containing quantitative and qualitative data about its inner workings that will help guide discussions with the committee, Carleton explained.

Virginia Bledsoe/Tufts Daily

Edith Balbach is the director of the Community Health Program, one of the interdisciplinary studies programs that will be reviewed by an external committee this spring. “We want to give [the reviewers] a landscape idea of interdisciplinary studies at Tufts, to examine the history of interdisciplinary studies, our future and our obstacles,” Carleton said. Berger-Sweeney said that the review stems in part from feedback she has received from students and faculty regarding a need for stronger institutional support of the interdisciplinary studies program. “Many people had concerns about interdisciplinary studies and programs, and how they were supported,” BergerSweeney said. “I thought it was important to have a review to sense what we do, and how we may move forward.” Community Health Program Director Edith Balbach, who is also

a faculty member in the American Studies Program, is one such professor who sees a lack of institutional support for the interdisciplinary studies programs at Tufts. “Most of the programs need more support than they have,” Balbach said. “You have to volunteer to spend your time teaching interdisciplinary courses and negotiate your load.” Balbach expressed a desire to see tangible improvements made to the interdisciplinary studies programs as a result of the review process. “I hope that the reviews will bring conscious attention to building a stronger infrastructure to support our existsee INTERDISCIPLINARY, page 2

Taste & Tell previews new recipes

Students campaign for ‘real food’

Bridget Boyle

Contributing Writer

Justin McCallum/Tufts Daily

In honor of Food Day, members of the new student group Food for Thought earlier this week asked students in Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall to participate in a photo petition event calling for the university to serve more local, sustainable and organic food options. Organizers plan to deliver an assessment of the current food offerings on campus along with the more than 50 pictures of students holding signs calling for “real food” to the administration later this year, according to Food for Thought co-Founder Mariah Gruner, a junior.

Inside this issue

Tufts University Dining Services ( TUDS) held its first Taste & Tell Dinner, a recipe sampling event, last night in Dewick-MacPhie and Carmichael Dining Halls. TUDS created the event to collect student feedback on new recipes, according to Carmichael Chef Manager Peter Kourafalos. At the event, students in both dining halls were able to try entrees, sides, sauces and desserts that have not often appeared on the menu this fall. TUDS distributed comment cards to students throughout the night, according to Tufts Nutrition Marketing Specialist Julie Lampie. Students who returned their cards were entered into a raffle, she added. TUDS plans to take students’ feedback into consider-

ation when determining which dishes to make a permanent part of the dining halls’ menu, Lampie said. “We’re hoping that student have fun with it, participate and give us feedback so we can create menus that are more popular,” Lampie said. “Students get tired of the same old food and variety makes for happy customers.” New entrees on the menu included a Bloody Mary flank steak, grilled chicken with an avocado citrus sauce and shrimp enchilada. TUDS also presented a number of new vegetarian dishes, including chipotle tamale pie and Tom Kha tofu, and vegetables like sauteed spinach with toasted sesame seed oil and roasted pumpkin with cranberries and sage. The Carmichael stir-fry station featured the popular Korean see DINING, page 2

Today’s sections

Elizabeth Olsen shines in ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene.’

Tufts women’s soccer will host Wesleyan in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday.

see ARTS, page 7

see SPORTS, back

News & Features Arts & Living Comics

1 7 10

Classifieds Sports

15 Back

The Tufts Daily

THE TUFTS DAILY Carter W. Rogers Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Niki Krieg Adam Kulewicz Managing Editors Amelie Hecht Executive News Editor Kathryn Olson News Editors Laina Piera Corinne Segal Saumya Vaishampayan Bianca Blakesley Assistant News Editors Gabrielle Hernandez Brionna Jimerson Elizabeth McKay Marie Schow Minyoung Song Mahpari Sotoudeh Martha Shanahan Executive Features Editor Jon Cheng Features Editors Maya Kohli Amelia Quinn Falcon Reese Derek Schlom Victoria Rathsmill Assistant Features Editors Margaret Young Rebecca Santiago Executive Arts Editor Zach Drucker Arts Editors Anna Majeski Charissa Ng Joseph Stile Matthew Welch Ashley Wood Melissa MacEwen Assistant Arts Editors David Kellogg Bhushan Deshpande Seth Teleky Anna Christian Devon Colmer Westley Engel Louie Zong Craig Frucht Michael Restiano Jonathan Green

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors Assistant Op-Ed Editors Cartoonists

Editorialists

Daniel Rathman Executive Sports Editor Matthew Berger Sports Editors Lauren Flament Claire Kemp Ben Kochman Aaron Leibowitz David McIntyre Alex Prewitt Ann Sloan Ethan Sturm Kate Klots Assistant Sports Editors Josh Berlinger Virginia Bledsoe Kristen Collins Alex Dennett Justin McCallum Ashley Seenauth William Butt Lane Florsheim Caroline Geiling Meagan Maher Oliver Porter Scott Tingley Dilys Ong

Executive Photo Editor Photo Editors

Assistant Photo Editors

Staff Photographers

News & FEATURES

Friday, October 28, 2011

Students’ preferred dishes to be incorporated into Dewick-MacPhie and Carmichael menus DINING

continued from page 1

dish Bibimbap. Every year, TUDS employees work to try out new recipes and perfect them in terms of taste and yield before adding them to the menu in the fall, Kourafalos said. Sampling events are helpful in order to determine what students like and dislike, Lampie explained. “We thought instead of having us dictate what should or should not go on a menu, why not let students have the opportunity to sample the items?” Lampie said. The new recipes came from a variety of sources. “The recipes come from anyone, such as a cook, one of the managers or even one of the students,” Kourafalos said. The vodka pasta sauce featured at the Taste & Tell Dinner was a student’s suggestion that TUDS took from a note on a comment board, according to Kourafalos. The vegetarian Tom Kha tofu dish was a winning recipe from the vegetarian recipe contest that TUDS hosted last spring, according to Lampie. When looking for new recipes, TUDS takes into consideration the large number of vegetarians on cam-

Andrew Schneer/Tufts Daily

At last night’s Taste & Tell Dinner, students sampled new recipes Tufts University Dining Services is considering adding to its menu. pus, available local produce and the cessed foods and “scratch cookery,” which TUDS is seeking in new menu food marketplace, Lampie said. “We research recipes in culinary items, according to Lampie. magazines that are on the cutting “The majority of the items we do edge of the culinary field,” Dewick- on a daily basis are produced here,” MacPhie Unit Manager John Beaulac Kourafalos said. “To be honest, I think we get a more wholesome and better said. New recipes focused on unpro- quality product that way.”

Review of interdisciplinary programs scheduled for spring INTERDISCIPLINARY continued from page 1

ing programs and encourage more faculty to be more engaged in interdisciplinary studies,” she said. Balbach noted, however, that the external review process can only do so much to improve the programs. “The external reviews can help, but at the end, interdisciplinary programs are still constrained by budget,” Balbach said. Bruce Hitchner, director of the

Archaeology and Peace and Justice Studies programs, is concerned that the external review might negatively impact the programs if it results in their downsizing. “Too often, people reorganize to economize, to be more business-oriented, and in doing so miss the purpose of research,” Hitchner said. “We have a responsibility to hold on to more fields, so we shouldn’t be thinking of economizing.” The review comes at a good time to re-evaluate the interdisciplinary stud-

ies programs, Carleton said. “There are so many engines of change churning at Tufts right now; it’s the ideal moment to rethink interdisciplinary studies,” Carleton said. Balbach and Carleton both hope that student will be involved in the review process. “It all affects the students, so they should be included,” Balbach said. “Students need to be involved because they are bright and can articulate what they want.”

Ellen Kan Executive New Media Editor

PRODUCTION Jason Huang

Production Director Alyssa Kutner Executive Layout Editor Rebecca Alpert Layout Editors Jennifer Betts Shoshanna Kahne Sarah Kester Emily Rourke Elliot Philips Assistant Layout Editors Andrew Paseltiner Executive Copy Editor Ben Considine Copy Editors Patrick Donnelly Sara Eisemann Katrina Knisely Drew Lewis Ashley Cheng Assistant Copy Editors Linh Dang Lauren Greenberg George Le Gregory Witz Audrey Kuan Executive Online Editor Darcy Mann Online Editors Ben Schwalb Ammar Khaku Executive Technical Manager

BUSINESS Laura Moreno Executive Business Director Christine Busaba Advertising Director Saanya Gulati Receivables Manager P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com Josh Berlinger/Tufts Daily

Students attending today’s Greek Block Party can participate in activities like cupcake decorating and foursquare.

Greeks organize activities for annual block party BLOCK PARTY

continued from page 1

rating, and Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) will organize a foursquare game. During the block party, the sorority powderpuff football game, which was originally scheduled to take place during Homecoming, will take place on Fletcher Field, Gottlieb said. Delta Upsilon (DU) will be holding a dunk booth across the street from their house at 114 Professors Row, according The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

to DU President Anthony Ferlan. Participants can pay one dollar to get three throws at a target that will then dunk a brother into the water, Ferlan, a junior, said. The Greek community is excited to add the dunk booth, Swanson said. DU will donate all proceeds from the dunk booth to the Delta Upsilon Global Service Initiative, a program that sends brothers from chapters across the nation on service trips to

different locations around the world. Each chapter is required to raise $1,000 over the course of the year to participate in this program, Ferlan noted. “This event will help us reach that goal,” he said. He added that this is the first time the block party has been held on Parents’ Weekend. “We’re hoping some parents will stop by and see what the Greek community is all about,” Swanson said.

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The Tufts Daily

Friday, October 28, 2011

News & Features

Tufts-led study shows that clothing affects racial perceptions by

Nadezhda Kazakova Daily Staff Writer

From casual sweatpants worn for a quick trip to the dining hall to the preppy outfit for a job interview, the way members of our society dress is a reflection of personal taste, character and cultural background. And while clothes may make the man, a recent Tufts-led study published in the online peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS ONE found that they may also influence how others perceive people’s race. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Tufts, Stanford University and the University of California at Irvine found that contextual clues — even those as simple as clothing — as well as prior cultural experience, were integral to the study participants’ perception. The study asked participants to classify each image that appeared on a screen as either black or white. Each image was randomly assigned to either be wearing clothing associated with low social status — a janitor’s jumpsuit — or high status — a business suit. The results indicated that when asked to make judgments about the race of computer-generated facial images, the type of clothing on the person in the image heavily impacted their decision. The article’s lead author, Jon Freeman, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Tufts Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said the goal of the study was to examine people’s associations between social status and race and determine the role these associations play in everyday categorizations. “We wanted to examine whether these stereotypes can change literally the way we see other people,” Freeman said. “As the faces’ race became more ambiguous, the effects of status cues became more pronounced and had a stronger influence on race perception,” Freeman said. The researchers found that the faces dressed in high-class attire were more likely to be rated as white regardless of their racial ambiguity. In the second experiment, the researchers used a mouse-tracking system to record the participant’s hand movement as it gravitated toward the two responses — white or black — on the screen. Average computer mouse trajectories showed that even when the participant ultimately categorized a face as white, if that face was dressed in low-status attire the participants were partially drawn to put their mouse over on the “black” category as their initial response. In a final computer simulation, researchers from the Departments of Psychology and Computer Science at Tufts, the Departments of Sociology and Psychology at Stanford and the Department of Sociology at UC, Irvine

Justin McCallum/Tufts Daily

A team including Tufts reserachers found that contextual clues like clothing affected participants’ perception of race. joined forces to study how prior cultural knowledge, including stereotypes, makes contact with information from the visual system in order to change race perception. “We can model this process in a neural network — an artificial system that we think resembles the functional and mathematical properties of the human brain,” Freeman said. “That helped confirm the results we obtained from actual human perceivers.” The combined results of the article’s three main components challenge the myth that perception of race is a straightforward judgment, based only on a person’s facial features, Freeman said. “Our study shows that these basic categorizations about other people are in fact … pushed around by the context in which individuals present themselves, as well as the stereotypes we bring to the table as perceivers,” Freeman said. According to Associate Professor of Psychology Samuel Sommers, race perception is only one of a wide range of psychological processes that are highly dependent on context. “This research demonstrates that even the process of determining another person’s demographics is highly

subjective and shaped by situational cues,” Sommers said. “If race categorization is altered by stereotypes and by the context, this is likely to bear a lot of downstream social implications, which need to be examined in the future,” Freeman said. This malleability, according to Freeman, is particularly important for our society’s perception of multiracial people or individuals that appear racially ambiguous. Sophomore Michael Sanders-Valdes said his experiences in high school exemplify the crucial role of social status cues in the perception of race. Sanders-Valdes said he observed stereotypes similar to the ones Freeman and his fellow researchers studied when he moved from a public to a private school. “In the public school, my clothing was too mild to be considered stereotypically black, so others around me lumped me in as another ‘white kid,’” he said. “However, when I switched to the private school, I didn’t quite have the right types of clothes … and due to this, along with my general appearance, I was instantly labeled as a person of color.” Sanders-Valdes said he was unsur-

prised by the researchers’ findings. “In many people’s minds, it is already deeply ingrained that white people tend to be better-off, and black people tend to be poor, so it makes sense that when given the initial social cue of high-status or low-status, the mind jumps to white and black respectively,” he said. Freeman said he anticipates further study on the matter would benefit from a more racially diverse pool of participants. “For this study, our participants were predominantly white, which simply reflects the population of the university,” Freeman said. “We want to see how these results might generalize to participant groups that are primarily black or multiracial.” Freeman suggested that with the knowledge and perhaps public awareness of the subtle processes behind perception of race, researchers might be able to make some small steps toward reducing racism and prejudice. “Researchers in the future need to examine how various types of interventions could help reduce these effects and how such effects can be exacerbated or diminished by certain contexts and conditions,” Freeman said.

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The Tufts Daily

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Tufts Daily

Friday, October 28, 2011

Arts & Living

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Movie Review

‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ a resounding success by Jordan

Teicher

Daily Staff Writer

Excuse the title of “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” It is confusing, longwinded and conjures images of haughty avant-

Martha Marcy May Marlene Starring Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes Directed by Sean Durkin garde cinema at its worst. A film’s title is supposed to lure in the viewer — it is a brand name — and “Martha Marcy May Marlene” reads like a list of grandmothers. So roll your eyes and shake your head, but then get over it quickly, because if you can look past the title, you will be rewarded with one of the best films of the year. The narrative begins as Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) runs away from a cult and moves into her sister’s lakefront vacation house in Connecticut. Martha is clearly a disturbed young woman. She does not reveal much about her past to her sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), or to Lucy’s husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy), but her uneasiness hints at earlier trauma. As the movie progresses, flashback sequences of Martha’s life in the cult intersperse the plot. It turns out the cult’s leader, Patrick (John Hawkes), changes her name to Marcy May because he thinks it sounds better than Martha. He also takes her virginity with the aid of a date-rape drug and tries to inspire her to become the leader of the women in the cult. Patrick does not spew a lot of crazy political rhetoric; instead, he leads by example and subtly attempts to reeducate the members of the cult. Lucy and Ted gradually lose patience with Martha’s odd behavior. It is clear that Martha is emotionally broken, and

foxsearchlight.com

Elizabeth Olsen steps out of her sisters’ shadow with this incredible performance. she struggles to assimilate into her sister’s comfortable life of luxury after being subjected to the cult’s extreme socialist practices. This tension is present throughout the movie and provides more than enough momentum to keep the viewer’s attention from beginning to end. The acting is superb. Olsen — the younger, more talented sister of MaryKate and Ashley Olsen — brings a combination of wholesomeness and mystery that is perfect for the role. She is able to switch between eerie calm and outbursts of anger with ease. If there is any justice in Hollywood, Olsen would be seriously considered for an Academy Award nomination. Paulson and Dancy are both good, but the other standout is Hawkes. He plays the role of Patrick with a quiet menace.

His character serves as the gravity for all the horror in the film and facilitates some shocking scenes that will stay with you past the end credits. Patrick is an extremely well-developed villain. Surprisingly, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” was written and directed by rookie Sean Durkin. Durkin handles tough subject matter with ideal subtlety and confidence, which many veteran directors fail to do. The story works so well because it raises questions instead of giving answers. For example, Patrick may be a wicked man, but his beliefs are shaped with rationality. Is it wrong to agree with his ideas? At what point is authority too extreme? Durkin’s visual style gives the audience time to think about these questions. The aesthetic is very naturalistic,

evoking comparisons to the organic approach used by Derek Cianfrance in “Blue Valentine” (2010). All of his characters are nuanced and fully developed. There is one scene near the end of the movie that prevents “Martha Marcy May Marlene” from getting a perfect rating. Describing the scene in question would unfairly divulge too much information about the way the plot twists in the third act, but if you see the film, you will know what I am talking about. This one scene is very out of place in a movie that was pieced together with such thoughtfulness. It is only in here for shock value. Fortunately, two hours of cinematic deftness can counteract two minutes of gratuitous violence. This is not just a great debut; it is a great film, period — other than its title.

Interview | Eric Roberts

Gym Class Heroes bassist dishes about band’s latest by

William Yu

Contributing Writer

The members of Gym Class Heroes are no strangers to the mainstream audiences that radio superstardom brings. Busting onto the scene with the single, “Cupid’s Chokehold,” Gym Class Heroes has enjoyed much success since its third album, “As Cruel As School Children” (2006). The group is composed of lead singer Travie McCoy, guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo, bassist

Eric Roberts and drummer Matt McGinley, and released its last album, “The Quilt,” in 2008. Now, the band looks to return to the roots they established in “The Papercut Chronicles” (2005) with the release of their fittingly titled “The Papercut Chronicles II.” On Saturday, the Daily caught up with bassist Eric Roberts to talk about the origin of the group, the creative process of the new album and their pre-show rituals. William Yu: How did Gym Class

Heroes come together?

Eric Roberts: Well, Gym Class Heroes is actually a really old band. Matt and Travis knew each other from high school, and they started playing together back in ’97 officially. Disashi and I are relatively new. I’ve been in [the band for] six years, Disashi’s been in [for] seven. We got connected through playing locally. Disashi actually opened up for Gym Class Heroes. Matt and I knew each other from back in the day; we went to the same college. We met each other through playing the same gigs.

WY: So, unlike a lot of your radio hits, “The Papercut Chronicles” features darker themes, [including] suicide, drug addiction and heartbreak, to name a few. Can we expect to see those again on the new album, or will it be an album of catchy tunes?

Alexandra Tinder via Flickr Creative Commons

ER: It’s a healthy combination. I think, as most of our fans know, we never want to make a repeat album. We never want to duplicate a sound or one of our older records. It’s definitely not a recreation of the original album, but it follows a lot of the same themes, same tones. It’s a lot more band-oriented than the last two records have been. As far as comparisons go, we’ve delved back into the first “Papercut Chronicles,” taken snippets of some of the old songs and changed them into completely original songs.

Gym Class Heroes bassist Eric Roberts talks about the band’s new album, ‘The Papercut Chronicles II.’

WY: Describe the production

that went into “The Papercut Chronicles II.” I’ve heard some rumors about abandoned churches, things like that. ER: Well, we’ve been working on this record for a very long time. [“The Papercut Chronicles II”] started in a renovated church in Ithaca. We locked ourselves in a basement for a week. No one had cars, cell phones… We were out in the wilderness, that’s where a lot of the songs off the record were written. We took those songs and those ideas and brought them to Doug White [the producer of “The Papercut Chronicles”] and fleshed out the records there. Then we recorded at the Hit Factory, then Pilot Studios. We’ve been spending a lot of time tweaking the songs. WY: [Fall Out Boy frontman] Patrick Stump had a large presence on the last two albums as a co-producer. Will we be seeing more from him this time around? ER: We did not work with Patrick on this record. It’s not like we didn’t have him in mind. We just didn’t think it was a good fit for the direction we wanted to go. We are the number one producers, other than [producer] Benny Blanco. They helped us polish out some of the singles that you’re gonna hear on the radio. WY: “Martyrial Girl$” is your second single off the new album. Compared to the single “Stereo Hearts,” “Martyrial Girl$” is a much

darker and edgier song. ER: That’s totally us. That’s the kind of thing we wanted on this record. A lot of the themes are hope, despair, maybe even revelation. So to have a happy and a gritty song, that’s totally something that we’re going for. There’s really no place in top radio for “Martyrial Girl$.” We want people to know that we are getting darker, and that the entire record isn’t going to sound like an album of “Stereo Hearts.” WY: Is there a song off the album that you have a personal connection to? ER: “Kid Nothing and the NeverEnding Naked Nightmare.” That song is kind of like my jam. There are a lot of parts of that song I’ve written — guitar-wise, bass-wise. I had my hand in creating that song; it’s a very personal song to me. But other than that, they’re all smashes, man. WY: Do you guys have any rituals before shows that you guys do? ER: If we have people with us, we kick them all out. We have an hour before set time, which is our quiet time. We just hang out, stretch out, pound some beers. Before we go on we chant a name: Gerry. WY: Gerry? ER: Yeah, we say it to psych ourselves, it’s a name of inspiration. Like, “Let’s go get ’em, Gerry!”

The Tufts Daily

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Tufts Daily

Comics

Friday, October 28, 2011

Doonesbury

Crossword

Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

Tuesday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Pulling off a sexy Jabba the Hutt costume

Late Night at the Daily Thursday’s Solution

Alyssa: “Hey, Andrew, can you computer this?”

Please recycle this Daily.

Wiley

The Tufts Daily

Friday, October 28, 2011

Sports

Editors' Challenge | Week 8 Grab your crackers, pretentious apple slices and assorted other garnishes, because it’s time to coagulate some milk protein and make some picks in the latest Tufts Daily sports section Eds Challenge. Like separating the milk into solid curds and the liquid whey, so too have the top editors begun to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, especially as the midway point in the NFL season rapidly approaches. Leading the way heading into Week 8, as he’s done throughout the season, is Daniel “Cheddar” Rathman, the section’s esteemed, cheeseheaded executive sports editor whose prowess in the prognostication arena is anything but cheesy. Rathman sits alone in first place at 74-29 overall after an 8-5 showing during Week 7. He, like cheddar, isn’t anything too flashy, but Rathman is a solid, stable picker who has withstood the test of time. Alone in second place, falling two games behind Rathman, is David “Muenster” McIntyre, accordingly named because he looks like Herman Munster from that 1960s American sitcom about the ambiguous monster family. Man, that’s a joke we’ve been waiting more than a year to make. Finally. Anyway, McIntyre was pretty nightmarish in his Week 7 picks, putting together a 6-7 week that dropped him to 72-31 overall, still in second place but looking up at Rathman. Alone in third place, ringing in with the bronze cheese medal, is Aaron “Mozzarella” Leibowitz, who posted a 9-4 mark this past week to bump him up to 70-33 overall, two games behind McIntyre and four behind Rathman. In a two-way tie for fourth, neck-and-neck like they have been the entire season, are Lauren “Gouda” Flament, whose picking ability has, like her nickname, been sur-

prisingly good, and Kate “Nacho” Klots who, as an assistant sports editor, isn’t really a full editor, kind of like nacho is not really a real cheese. Nonetheless, both put up 8-5 weeks to earn the respect of their editors and the cheese community. One game behind the dynamic female duo is Alex “Cheez Whiz” Prewitt, because he’s a real wiz kid. Are we right? Right? No? Wow. OK, moving on. Prewitt went 8-5 last week and sits at 67-36 overall, well out of first place but solidly in the middle of the standings. Right behind Prewitt is Ben “Goat” Kochman, who smells like one, looks like one and does about as well as if a goat picked games by defecating on a mat with team logos laid out on either end. He went 6-7 last week and is tied with Ethan “Swiss” Sturm, who has about as many holes in his moniker as he does in his football pick’em game, at 66-37 overall. Further down the ranks is Matt “Lim” Berger, who stinks as bad as his picks these days after going a sports section-worst 5-8 in Week 7, sliding down to 64-39 overall in a tie with Annie “Pepper Jack” Sloan, who, despite her misleading hair color, is actually on fire these days after a 10-3 week that brought her out of the cellar and into a tie for 10th. In last place, as she has been throughout the season, is Claire “Brie” Kemp at 62-41 overall. Guest-picking this week, because she never really left, is Sapna “Porridge Dumpling” Bansil, who doesn’t get to be a cheese because she’s not really part of the staff, even though she is more plugged into Tufts sports than anyone currently in the section.

OVERALL RECORD LAST WEEK

Daniel 74-29 8-5

David 72-31 6-7

Aaron 70-33 9-4

Lauren 69-34 8-5

Kate 69-34 8-5

Alex 67-36 8-5

Ben 66-37 6-7

Ethan 66-37 7-6

Matt 64-39 5-8

Annie 64-39 10-3

Claire 62-41 8-5

GUEST Sapna Bansil

Indianapolis at Tennessee

Tennessee

New Orleans at St. Louis New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans Minnesota at Carolina

Minnesota

Carolina

Minnesota

Miami at NY Giants

NY Giants

Jacksonville at Houston

Houston

Jacksonville

Houston

Arizona at Baltimore

Baltimore

Detroit at Denver

Detroit

Denver

Detroit

Denver

Detroit

Denver

Detroit

Washington at Buffalo

Buffalo

Washington

Buffalo

Pittsburgh

Seattle

Cincinnati

N. England at Pittsburgh New England New England New England New England Cincinnati at Seattle

Cincinnati

Pittsburgh Cincinnati

New England New England New England Cincinnati

Seattle

Cincinnati

New England New England Cincinnati

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Cleveland at San Fran.

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The Tufts Daily

Sports

Friday, October 28, 2011

FIELD HOCKEY

Tufts falls to undefeated Bowdoin in regular-season finale Despite edge in shots, corners, Jumbos post three regular-season losses for first time since 2007 by

Claire Kemp

Daily Editorial Board

The No. 13 field hockey team traveled to Maine on Wednesday night with big hopes of ending No. 2 Bowdoin’s perfect FIELD HOCKEY (7-3 NESCAC, 11-3 Overall) at Brunswick, Maine, Wednesday Tufts Bowdoin

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season in exciting fashion. But, despite holding a 12-8 advantage in shots and a 10-6 edge in penalty corners, the Jumbos eventually fell to the Polar Bears 2-1 in their regular-season finale. The annual matchup with Bowdoin — which during the past three years has come at the tail end of each team’s season — has typically been a close, hard-fought affair, but the Jumbos won both of the previous contests. Wednesday’s loss also marks the first time Tufts has dropped three regularseason games since 2007. “Honestly we just got unlucky,” said senior goalkeeper Marianna Zak, who posted four saves for the Jumbos. “We played really well and the game could’ve gone either way. But, at the end of the day they scored more goals than we did.” The first of Bowdoin’s two goals came at the end of an evenly-matched first half. In the last five minutes before the break, Bowdoin senior co-captain Ella Curren made good on a penalty corner with a hard drive from the right side to put the home team up 1-0. The Jumbos, frustrated by their lack of offensive production, used the intermission to change the momentum of the game. “At halftime we talked about how we were really dominating the game in terms of possession,” junior forward Kelsey Perkins said. “We just needed to keep putting pressure on them defensively to get them flustered which was working. On offense we really wanted

K.C. Hambleton/Tufts Daily

Junior forward Kelsey Perkins’ goal was just the ninth tally allowed by Bowdoin this season. to focus on getting corners when we got it down into their 25 and their circle — we didn’t have any corners in the first half.” Just over 10 minutes into the second period, freshman forward Brittany Norfleet found Perkins with a clear shot on goal. Norfleet made the pass and Perkins one-timed the ball over a diving freshman goalie Hannah Gartner for the tie. Unfortunately, the Jumbos’ secondhalf reinvigoration lulled after the tally and the Polar Bears pounced. With 18:56 to go, senior Liz Clegg slid the ball to junior Cathleen Smith, who beat Zak in a one-on-one for the go-ahead goal. Tufts rallied, but Gartner stayed solid against the Jumbos’ 10 secondhalf shots and corners. Overall, the game was a disappointing, quintessential case of too little, too late.

Tufts hosts Wesleyan in NESCAC Quarterfinals tomorrow Women’s Soccer continued from page 16

past a defender perfectly to me on the back post and all I had to do was slot it in.” Halfway through the first 45 minutes, however, the host Polar Bears responded, equalizing with the help of freshman forward Amanda Kinneston at 22:53. Kinneston retrieved a set piece played in by sophomore Becky Stoneman and headed it past Tufts sophomore keeper Kristin Wright and into the right post to knot things up at one. “They had a free kick and we just didn’t get organized fast enough, leaving a girl open to finish the cross,” senior cocaptain Lauren O’Connor said. As the first half drew to a close, the score remained 1-1, although Bowdoin led Tufts 8-4 in shots and 3-0 in corner kick opportunities. Wright helped keep the score level, notching three first-half saves to Lane’s one. For much of the second half, play was back and forth. Each team had solid chances but was unable to convert until the 78th minute, when Tufts sophomore Sophie Wojtasinski chased a deflected Lane save and launched a shot past the Bowdoin keeper to once again put the Jumbos on top. Tufts, which has worked to maintain focus and intensity late in the game this season, did just that, and after

Wojtasinski gave the Jumbos the lead, Love-Nichols stepped up again to add an insurance tally. In the 84th minute, the senior, playing in her last regular-season game, captured a loose ball in front of the net and again bested Lane to give the Jumbos a two-goal margin. As time expired, the Jumbos walked off the field proud of a solid 3-1 conference victory. Both teams took 14 shots in the contest and had four corner opportunities, while both Lane and Wright finished the day with six saves apiece. With the win, the Jumbos improved to 7-4-3 and finished the regular season among the top four NESCAC teams for the eighth year running. “I think we really put all the pieces together against Bowdoin, both playing quality soccer as well as passionate soccer,” O’Connor said. “We’ll be looking to carry that over into [the] playoffs.” The Jumbos have now set their sights on a run in the NESCAC tournament beginning on Saturday. As the No. 4 seed, Tufts will first host No. 5 seed Wesleyan, which they beat 1-0 at home on Sept. 17. Wesleyan brings a 9-5 overall record into postseason play, but all five losses have come against NESCAC opponents. Those include conference No. 1 Amherst and No. 2 Williams — which also defeated Tufts — plus No. 3 Middlebury and No.

Fortunately, though, the loss had no implications for Tufts’ postseason. The Jumbos enter Saturday’s NESCAC quarterfinals as the No. 4 seed, set to host the No. 5 seed Trinity — ranked 16th nationally — which they defeated in overtime 3-2 on Oct. 2. It’s no secret that Tufts needs at least a semifinal appearance next weekend to be considered for an NCAA at-large bid, and Trinity is undoubtedly aiming for revenge. However, Wednesday’s second half is arguably the best field hockey the team has played all season and a repeat performance this weekend could easily stifle the physical but less-skilled Bantams. The Jumbos picked the right time to peak, too, as barring an upset of Bowdoin from Hamilton — not out of the question after the Hamilton’s defeat of No. 10 Amherst — the Polar

6 Hamilton, two teams that Tufts tied. In their previous meeting, O’Connor scored early in the second half to give the Jumbos the only goal of a tight contest. The Cardinals, in fact, frustrated the Jumbos for much of the game; in the first half, Tufts outshot Wesleyan 14-2 and came up empty on every attempt. Despite a more evenkeeled second half, no team was able to find the net after O’Connor’s tally. “We have definitely grown a lot since seeing Wesleyan early this year,” O’Connor said. “We know that when we play our best, we have the ability to beat any team in the NESCAC on any given day and our goal is absolutely to win the whole thing.” But both sides have improved since their early meeting. As a result, the Cardinals have won six of their last seven games and cannot be taken lightly. “I think we have grown as a team throughout the season,” Love-Nichols said. “While we’ve always had a wealth of talent and depth, we’re now putting that together to play as a great team. Wesleyan is no joke but I have no doubt that our team will play like we did on Wednesday and put them away.” “We seniors have ended two of our three seasons in PKs in the quarterfinals of NESCACs,” she added. “Saturday, we’ll be coming out to win soundly in regular time.”

Bears await the Jumbos on the other side of Saturday’s match. The team’s minds may be intensely focused on dismissing Trinity from the championship race, but there is a tense awareness that this is only the first step of several to reviving their national prominence. “Playing Trinity is always a battle,” Zak said. “But as long as we keep playing our game we’ll be in good shape. Especially here on our own field.” “At this point it’s do or die,” Perkins added. “Every team is fighting for their lives especially since only one or two will make it to the NCAA tournament. We need to focus on playing our game because we’re peaking now … We didn’t get the results we wanted on Wednesday, but we took our game to another level. If we can keep clicking like we did last night then we’ll definitely be successful on Saturday.”

Jumbos look to put pressure on Polar Bears VOLLEYBALL

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masterful passing that resulted in a match-high 40 assists. “Kendall was setting so well, especially at the end of the second set,” Spieler said. “Her passes allowed me a direct hit line for my spikes.” In that second set, the Jumbos jumped out to an early lead, but the Lions began clawing back after a timeout called by their coach, Ben Read. At one point, Emerson came within two points of tying up the score by taking advantage of Tufts’ unusual lack of communication. However, after several winning points punctuated by Kuan’s serving and Hopper’s spikes, the Jumbos rallied to win the second set by a score of 25-18. “We just need to play our game and play the way we know we can,” Spieler said. After a slow start in the third set, the Jumbos rallied to win 25-19, improving their overall record to 21-4, while remaining 8-1 in conference play. Throughout the match, the Lions had no answer for the power game of the Jumbos, who finished with a remarkable 53 kills and five service aces, while committing only 12 attack errors and four service miscues. That efficiency is a testament to Tufts’ strong team focus and communication. “Serving has been one of our major strengths through the whole season,” Thompson said. “Communication is also one of

our team’s biggest strengths. Our mouths get our feet moving.” Another major reason for Wednesday’s victory was Hopper’s continued success; the first-year outside hitter has played a pivotal role in the team’s victories. “It’s all about staying confident,” Hopper said. “My teammates are very supportive and always bring me back up.” The team has three more regular season matches scheduled for this weekend, one of which is against conference rival Conn. College. The Camels boast a 6-3 conference record, and are third in the NESCAC standings, one spot behind the second-place Jumbos. To have any hope of catching undefeated Bowdoin at the top of the conference, the Jumbos will need a victory against Conn. College, which will be looking to hold off Middlebury (5-3) and Williams (5-3). “These out-of-conference games are nice [to win],” Thompson said in anticipation of Friday’s match at Conn. College. “But we have to play the best of the best [in order] to be the best.” Wednesday, however, was all about honoring the contributions of the team’s three seniors. “All three were rocks and consistent players all season,” Thompson said. “[Volleyball] was such a good experience,” Spieler added. “Deep down it’s sad, but it has been such a good time.”

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Tufts Daily

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Tufts Daily

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VOLLEYBALL

David McIntyre | The Beautiful Game

Jumbos stay hot with victory over Lions Team marks Senior Night with 3-0 win over Emerson by

Alex Baudoin

Contributing Writer

Cousens Gymnasium was buzzing in anticipation on Wednesday evening as the volleyball team took the court against VOLLEYBALL (8-1 NESCAC, 21-4 Overall) Cousens Gym, Wednesday Emerson Tufts

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Emerson College. On the team’s Senior Night, when the Jumbos were honoring the collegiate careers of their tri-captains, Audrey Kuan — who is also the executive online editor of the Daily — Lexi Nicholas and Cara Spieler, it was only fitting that two of them led the way in the 3-0 rout. “We were super pumped for our last regular season home game,” Spieler said. “With all the fans, we gave it all the fire we had.” With Nicholas out nursing an ankle injury, the Jumbos looked to build on their success last weekend in the Hall of Fame Invitational, and they quickly jumped off to a commanding 13-2 lead. Tufts ultimately captured the frame 25-8. “We had strong serving right off the bat,” head coach Cora Thompson said. “It really allowed us to mess up their defensive strategy.” The Jumbos continued to overpower their opponents throughout the match, led by Spieler’s impressive 19 kills, and freshman Hayley Hopper’s 10. Junior setter Kendall Lord also had a big game, fueling the powerful Jumbos attack with her see VOLLEYBALL, page 12

Scott Tingley/Tufts Daily

Playing in her final regular-season game at Cousens Gym, senior tri-captain outside hitter Cara Spieler had a match-high 19 kills.

Pass protection key to Jumbos’ success on offense FOOTBALL

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Turnovers and miscues on special teams led to good field position for the Ephs and cost the Jumbos greatly. Those two areas have been a problem for the team all season, and the squad will certainly have to execute more consistently this week if they want to have a chance against Amherst. “We get off schedule and we have a couple of penalties here and there, drop a few balls, we’re not a good enough team to overcome those kinds of things, I don’t know that any team is,” Civetti said. “We’ve learned lessons about protecting the football, and that’s certainly been better for us. But now we have to make sure we stay on schedule and continue to execute.” Points have been hard to come by this year for the Jumbos, but against Williams last week, Tufts scored 17, showing signs of life on offense. It was their highest-scoring performance of the year, and it included two impressive drives of over 70 yards, giving the team something to build off of heading into tomorrow’s game. “There was a little bit of confidence there for a while,” Civetti said. “When you stick to your assignments and you do your job and you have 11 guys on the field that do their job collectively, then you’re going to have some amount of success.” The Jumbos could be poised for another big offensive day. Amherst has been particularly good against the run this season, but aerial attacks have had considerable success against the Lord Jeffs. This bodes well for the passingoriented Jumbos and senior quarterback

Virginia Bledsoe/Tufts Daily

Junior wide receiver Dylan Haas had a remarkable 13 catches for 205 yards in the Jumbos’ record-setting 70-49 loss to the Lord Jeffs last year. Johnny Lindquist, who is expected to start despite a minor shoulder injury. One key to focus on for this week’s game that may have a large impact on the outcome is the performance of Tufts’ offensive line. Sacks have been a glaring problem for the Jumbos and have halted many successful drives. The Jumbos are last in the NESCAC in protecting their quarterback, having allowed 20 sacks through five games. Unfortunately, the Lord Jeffs excel at rushing the passer, led by the dominant duo of defensive linemen Mike Aldo

and Kevin Ferber, who have five sacks apiece. The Jumbos have the potential to move the ball through the air against a weak Amherst secondary, but they must give Lindquist time in the pocket to see the field and make plays. “We have to make sure we protect, and that we’re good on our protections, making the right reads and we’re communicating,” Civetti said. “When you go to play Amherst defense you know they’re bringing it, they crank it up pretty good, they play big time defense and that’s to be expected.”

Man City: Not so fast

f you follow soccer at all (or even sports in general), then you already know that last weekend’s Manchester Derby was one of the most important matches of the season. Not only did it make the ESPN.com homepage, but the game was also seen as a changing of the guard in Manchester and in England. As Manchester City made its way home with an emphatic 6-1 victory, the pronouncements had already begun: the Blues were the new favorites for the Premier League title. And in some ways, they have spent enough money — more than $1 billion over the past three seasons — on world-class players that it’s almost impossible for them not to be considered among the favorites for the league title. But before everyone hops on the Etihad bandwagon, there are many reasons why City should wait before organizing any ticker tape parades. First of all, as the old saying goes, it’s only one game. Yes, City got the better of United throughout the game, but the 6-1 margin was heavily inflated; three of City’s goals came in stoppage time and five came after Jonny Evans’ needless red card in the 47th minute. The victory also put City just five points clear at the top of the table, a deficit that could be fumbled away in two games. The wide margin and City’s recent form also serve to cover up the problems in a squad that is filled with high-priced, mercurial players. The most notable issue is the situation of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, who was fined four weeks’ wages by the club after allegedly refusing to play in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Tevez, 27, now states that he only refused to warm up again, feeling that he was already loose, and is reportedly considering suing manager Roberto Mancini for defamation of character. The Tevez situation, whatever the eventual resolution, shows the inherent weakness of a team built with “superstars” at every position: you never quite know when it’s all going to blow up in their faces. Even though Manchester City arguably has more raw talent than any club in Europe besides Barcelona, the combustible nature of its players leaves a constant air of uncertainty as to what will happen next. For example, prior to the Derby, it was reported that City striker Mario Balotelli accidentally lit his house on fire while playing with fireworks in his bathroom. Balotelli, always one to be in the headlines, has apologized for the incident and has now become an ambassador for fireworks safety. You really can’t make this stuff up. Obviously, the City dressing room is not always the happiest place to be, and the challenge for Mancini will be making sure that none of these off-the-field shenanigans become evident on the pitch. But it won’t be easy, especially because the Citizens face a run of games in December when they have to play Bayern Munich (in the Champions League), Chelsea and Arsenal in the course of 11 days. Meanwhile, Manchester United has already played the dangerous Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool squads. If City can come through that period with seven points or more, I’ll start taking it as a serious Champions League and Premier League contender. But until then, there’s just too much uncertainty surrounding the team, despite its unbeaten Premier League record. As Mario Balotelli knows all too well, Manchester City is like a firework: most of the time it creates spectacular results, but sometimes it just blows up in your face. David McIntyre is a sophomore who is majoring in political science. He can be reached at David.McIntyre@tufts.edu.

Sports

INSIDE Volleyball 15 Field Hockey 12

tuftsdaily.com

MEN’S SOCCER

Tufts looks golden heading into NESCAC tournament Jumbos down Polar Bears behind Hoppenot’s overtime goal by

David McIntyre

Daily Editorial Board

Coming into Wednesday night’s matchup against Bowdoin, the men’s soccer team was assured of a berth in MEN’S SOCCER (5-3-2 NESCAC, 9-4-2 Overall) at Brunswick, Maine, Wednesday Tufts Bowdoin

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the NESCAC tournament, but with a Trinity or Williams defeat and a Tufts victory, the Jumbos would host their quarterfinal game. And even though they didn’t get the help they needed, thus ensuring that they would be hitting the road throughout the playoffs, the Jumbos still came away with an impressive 2-1 overtime win. Tufts’ hero was freshman forward Maxime Hoppenot, who scored both goals for the Jumbos, including the game-winner with just 2:48 remaining in the first overtime period. His first goal was particularly impressive, as Hoppenot beat his defender oneon-one inside the box and delivered a powerful shot into the top corner of the goal. That tally gave Tufts a strong start to the game, an area the team has been focusing on throughout the fall. However, following a recent trend, the Jumbos once again gave up an equalizer late in the game, as Polar Bears freshman forward Sam White managed to head one in with less than two minutes remaining. “I thought we came out with pretty good intensity,” senior tri-captain Matt

Kyra Sturgill/Tufts DAILY

Senior tri-captain midfielder Matt Blumenthal is the only player to start all 14 regular-season games for Tufts. Blumenthal said. “But we had some trouble in the second half … keeping focus, which is maybe why we conceded that late goal.” But the Jumbos — unlike in their last game against Hamilton — managed to rebound shortly thereafter, sealing the victory with Hoppenot’s golden goal. The first-year’s well-placed header will serve as a springboard for the Jumbos,

who are looking to curb the bad habit of faltering as the clock runs down. “I think it should help, because that late goal certainly gives us some momentum,” Blumenthal said. “We talked a bit today about getting focused for 90 minutes throughout. The last few games have definitely taught us a lesson.” With the victory and the results else-

where in the conference, Tufts finished in fifth place with a NESCAC record of 5-3-2. That means that the squad will travel to face the No. 4 Williams Ephs on Saturday in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the Oct. 15 Homecoming game from which Tufts emerged with a 2-1 victory. “Our strengths really match up well with Williams’ weaknesses,” junior midfielder Rafael Ramos-Meyer said. “We are a very talented team and we play well with the ball on the ground, which is something Williams had a lot of trouble dealing with the first time we played them.” The Ephs proved their own mettle by taking the top two teams in the conference, Amherst and Wesleyan, to overtime, ultimately drawing the Lord Jeffs and losing to the Cardinals. In the game against Tufts, the Ephs dominated much of the action in the second half as they tried to rally from 2-0 down, but ultimately the comeback fell short and the Jumbos emerged with the victory. “We beat them on Homecoming, but we know that they’re a big team and compete well in the air,” Blumenthal said. “We need to defend well in one on one marking, but their defenders are slow, so pace can get at them pretty well.” Even though the match will be away from home, the Jumbos will go into the game confident that they can earn their first conference tournament victory since 2001. “I know that if we come out and play our best game, there isn’t a team in the NESCAC that can compete with us,” Ramos-Meyer said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to come away with another win against Williams.”

Women’s Soccer

Football

Jumbos ice Polar Bears

Jumbos to face undefeated Lord Jeffs

Love-Nichols scores twice in regular-season finale by

Kate Klots

Daily Editorial Board

On Wednesday, the regional No. 6 women’s soccer team traveled to Brunswick, Maine, WOMEN’S SOCCER (5-3-2 NESCAC, 7-4-3 Overall) at Brunswick, Maine, Saturday Tufts Bowdoin

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and topped the Bowdoin Polar Bears 3-1 to secure homefield advantage in Saturday’s NESCAC quarterfinal matchup against No. 12 Wesleyan. Despite cold, rainy conditions and a three-hour drive, the Jumbos pulled away from the Polar Bears with two secondhalf strikes. The Jumbos had recently lost two heartbreaking 1-0 conference decisions that could have gone either way, and finished with a 0-0 standoff with Hamilton on Saturday, despite playing two overtimes. “We have a very talented team and all of the elements to be a championship team,” senior forward Jamie LoveNichols said. “In the few games before Bowdoin, we couldn’t quite get it together … So we knew going into our last regular season game that it was time to play like the team that we really are and that’s what we did.” Determined to return to the

Alex Dennett/Tufts Daily

Senior forward Jamie Love-Nichols scored twice on four shots in the Jumbos’ 3-1 victory over Bowdoin. win column in NESCAC play, Tufts came out with an aggressive game plan and immediately saw improved results. Less than eight minutes into the game, Love-Nichols took a cross from junior Alyssa Von Puttkammer and skillfully put it past Bowdoin sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Lane

to give the Jumbos the first lead of the game and crucial momentum. “Alyssa hit a great free kick from the right side of the field,” Love-Nichols said. “[Sophomore forward] Anya [Kaufmann] deflected the ball see WOMEN’S SOCCER, page 12

Zach McGowan

Daily Staff Writer

The Jumbos will be facing a top-four NESCAC team for the third-straight weekend when they face off against Amherst on Saturday at Zimman Field. The Lord Jeffs come to the Hill boasting a 5-0 record and sitting atop the NESCAC standings alongside Trinity. Amherst’s high-powered offense and strong defensive front have fueled its success so far this season, and the Jumbos will need to find a way to overcome both if they hope to pick up their first win of the season. “They’re a good, wellcoached, hard, physical team,” interim head coach Jay Civetti said of Amherst. “They play good, sound football. They bring a lot of energy. Obviously their record is representative of their ability; they’re a strong football team.” Offensively, Tufts can expect a similar style to what they saw from Trinity on Oct. 15. Like the Bantams, the Lord Jeffs are a strictly run-first team but with a slightly different twist. The Lord Jeffs often operate without huddling, using the hurry-up offense that is commonplace in Div. I college football. Spearheading Amherst’s offense is senior running back Eric Bunker, older brother of Trinity’s Evan

Bunker, who kept the Jumbos defense’s hands full in the 9-0 Homecoming loss. “Amherst runs a hurry-up offense so we just have to stay focused,” junior defensive back Sam Diss said. “[We need to] get the calls in quick, get lined up quick, stay calm and collected and do our job on every play.” Bunker, second in the NESCAC in rushing yards, has led the Lord Jeffs to an impressive 29 points per game. That means the Jumbos defense — anchored by the conference’s leading tackler, senior linebacker Zack Skarzynski — will have to continue playing up to the level it has shown in recent games. Two weeks ago against Trinity, the defense put on a very strong performance in which it allowed only nine points to an offense that had averaged 28 in its prior three contests. Last week, the squad allowed 38 points to another top-tier offense, the Williams Ephs, and though the point total was high, a closer look at the statistics shows that Tufts did a better job than the final score suggests. The Jumbos held the Ephs to just 325 yards, well below their season average of 378, and out of the six Ephs scoring drives, only two were longer than 33 yards. see FOOTBALL, page 15