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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tufts ties in third straight game

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Junior midfielder Jason Kayne dribbles up field during the Jumbos' 1-1 tie with Amherst on Homecoming.
The Jumbos' confidence continues to grow, despite not having added to their win total in the last four games. Tufts submitted another impressive performance on Saturday against Middlebury, but an inability to finish chances left the team with another tie, this time by a scoreless 0-0 deadlock.

Heading into the game, Tufts saw a chance to pick up a crucial three points against an opponent that had just come off a grueling double-overtime loss to Williams, and hoped to attack Middlebury early and often.

"We knew Middlebury was big, and they had just played double OT against Williams, so they would probably be tired," junior midfielder Connor Brown said. "We [also] were playing on turf, which is something that we like to play on, because we like to keep the ball on the ground. Our game plan was pretty much keep the ball on the ground, keep the ball in play, and try and generate chances, score goals and get ahead early."

Although the setup appeared ripe for a quick start, the Jumbos did not anticipate Mother Nature playing a factor, as they ended up having to deal with cold and rainy conditions throughout the game.

"The weather was pretty awful," Brown said. "At first, I thought we had a lot of trouble with keeping the ball on the ground. It was a little bit too quick for us, and [the ball] was kind of bouncing over our feet [and] we weren't able to keep possession too well."

Despite the inclement weather, Tufts was still able to generate several opportunities in the first half. In the 16th minute, junior midfielder Jason Kayne received a chip from junior defender Monil Patel, but had his shot rejected by sophomore keeper Greg Sydor. Sophomore forward Nathan Majumder's shot off the rebound also sailed high.

Minutes later, a Majumder header off a cross from junior midfielder Rui Pinhiero went left of the goal.

After fairly even play in the first half, the Jumbos began to take over, keeping their foot on the pedal the entire second half.

"In the first half, although [Middlebury] didn't generate a lot of chances, they kept the ball a lot of the half, which was kind of tough," Brown said. "We didn't get a lot of looks in the first half, but in the second half we got pretty creative offensively, and we were able to keep the ball in their half most of the half."

One of the best looks the Jumbos had was from senior co-captain forward Maxime Hoppenot, who found himself alone on the left side, but was stuffed by Sydor, whose inspired play in net was a big factor in keeping his team in the game.

Although Sydor faced an aggressive attack for most of the second half, Tufts sophomore goalie Scott Greenwood had a relatively quiet game thanks to another impressive showing from his team's back line.

Sophomore defensive midfielder Zach Halliday continued his stellar play, and freshman back Conor Coleman got the first start of his career and was a key cog in preserving the shutout for Greenwood.

"I thought that as always our defense was solid, we defended well as a team from our forwards to our defenders and kept them in check," Hoppenot said.


While the Coleman's play was a testament to the incredible depth of Tufts this year, it was Hoppenot's performance up front that is the best sign for the team moving forward, as it hopes to convert more chances into goals.

"Max [Hoppenot] was the player of the game up top," Brown said. "He played super well, he was very dynamic, beating guys all over the place and holding the ball up."

Although walking out of Middlebury with a tie was not what Tufts would have hoped for as it tries to keep pace with Amherst and Wesleyan atop the conference, the overall team play bodes well for Tufts in the long-term.

"We're playing well as a team," Brown said. "It's just going to take a little bit better finishing and I think we'll be fine. I don't think anybody is worried about where we're at -- it's a little bit frustrating not seeing the ball go in the back of the net, but we're playing good soccer right now, and I think we're still pretty excited about where we're at as a team."