Despite intense emotions and a solid start for the Jumbos, the Middlebury Panthers proved too much for the Men's soccer team on Saturday. Tufts fell to the visiting Panthers 3-0 on Kraft Field in the hard-hitting grudge match between two NESCAC teams in front of a solid Tufts fan base.
"We played very well overall, but at the end of the day we just didn't get the results," coach Ralph Ferrigno said. "As everyone knows, we're a youthful group and we're going to move forward."
As so often happens in soccer matches, all of the game's scoring occurred in a short period of time. Middlebury's Vandy Shanholt broke the 0-0 stalemate at the 52 minute mark with his second goal of the season. Shanholt knocked in the rebound after Tufts' freshman goalie Brian Dulmovits blocked an initial shot.
Panther sophomore David LaRocca added an insurance goal in the 73rd minute after the Tufts defense pushed too far up in the Middlebury zone for a corner kick. After junior Ben Castellot ripped a shot that clanged off the post, Middlebury cleared the ball up past half field. With just one defender back, Dulmovits was forced to leave the box to pursue the ball in a foot race with LaRocca. The rookie keeper slid in front of the charging forward, initially blocking the ball and knocking LaRocca to the ground. The ball managed to break free, however, and LaRocca recovered enough to roll it into the wide open net as the Jumbo defense sprinted back.
"The second goal was unfortunate. It was a mistake on our part as too many of us were pushed forward," senior defender Mike Lingenfelter said. "That is one tactical thing we're going to have to look at in the future."
Dulmovits injured his leg on the play, forcing Tufts to bring in freshman keeper David McKeon. Just 30 seconds later, LaRocca took advantage of a mis-headed ball, drilling a shot past McKeon to the right side, and securing a 3-0 advantage that would prove to be the final score.
With the obvious frustration from the three quick goals, in conjunction with tension between the two NESCAC teams, play went from physical to borderline malicious late in the game. Of the 30 fouls called, the most damaging for the Jumbos came when LaRocca attacked junior tri-captain defender Jon Glass from behind, sending the heart of Tufts' defense to the hospital and earning a red card in the process.
"Middlebury is a scrappy team and they have a lot of players who play dirty," Lingenfelter said. "It was a pretty nasty tackle [against Glass]. The ref didn't set a tone early that he wasn't going to stand for it, so [we were] not surprised when they started throwing cheap shots at us."
Though the final score was not indicative, Tufts blasted out of the blocks like a team on a mission in the opening minutes of the game. The squad matched the Panthers ball for ball in the air and put together crisp pass combinations to generate several opportunities.
"Emotions were really high and really intense, especially after the history we have with Middlebury," Lingenfelter said. "It's always hard for teams to come out on the road and play strong from the beginning. We knew we had to give it to them as hard as we could early."
The Jumbos had their best chance of the first half after sophomore Bob Kastoff received the ball from junior Mattia Chason, only to be taken out from behind in the Middlebury box. Senior tri-captain Mike Guigli set up for the penalty kick that would have put the Jumbos up 1-0, but missed the net wide to the right.
"It's always a big deal if you miss a PK because of the emotion and momentum behind it," Lingenfelter said. "If we had gone up 1-0 early, it would have been a different game, but I think we responded and played well after the PK."
With its 12 shots and chances coming from a variety of players including Chason, Castellot, Kastoff and freshman Sam James, the Jumbos did not let down, even after Middlebury scored its first goal in the second half. It wasn't until the second goal that the game appeared out of reach for the home team.
"We all played with a lot of heart," Lingenfelter said. "While we have some size and a lot of strength, it's not our strongest point. We do better when we move the ball and keep possession."
Ferrigno, though disappointed with the outcome, perceived the loss as another step towards experience for his young team.
"It's not a crisis; we're only three games into the season," Ferrigno said. "We played well. We had to make a few changes because of injuries, but we adapted well. We just need to siphon out all the bad and concentrate on the good stuff."
