When the Men's soccer team kicks off its season against Colby this Saturday, the lineup will look almost exactly as it did when Tufts painfully collapsed to the Middlebury Panthers last Halloween in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs.
The Jumbos lost just three seniors to graduation last spring, and with nine returning starters, Tufts will field a squad with experience in the NESCAC and familiarity as a unit. With their 8-6-1 (4-5 NESCAC) record during the 2004 season, the Jumbos feel they have a strong foundation, and they hold high expectations for this fall.
"We're going to have a very strong attacking side that has played together for two years as a unit," senior tri-captain Todd Gilbert said. "We have a lot of firepower up front and a lot of creativity."
Gilbert led the 2004 Jumbos in goals, assists and points with five, seven and 17, respectively. Along with classmate and fellow tri-captain midfielder Mike Guigli, Gilbert will anchor a Jumbo offense that has the potential to wreak havoc on opposing teams. Juniors Matia Chason and Ben Castellot and sophomore Dan Joswiak will compete for the two starting forward roles. Chason and Castellot each netted four goals in 2004 while Joswiak tallied two goals of his own.
"There is going to be a lot of competition for the two starting forward spots this year," Gilbert said. "It's going to be good."
On the other end of the pitch, Tufts returns three starting defenders in junior tri-captain Jon Glass, senior Mike Lingenfelter, and sophomore Andrew Drucker. Sophomores Matt Maloney and Derek Engelking will also see time in the back. Missing from the Jumbo defense will be junior Aaron Nass, who will sit out the 2005 season for undisclosed medical reasons.
Though the Jumbos lost just three players to graduation last spring, two of those three were goalkeepers. Sullivan, along with classmate and former captain Scott Conroy, anchored the team from between the posts all last year. As a result, keeper is the most uncertain position for the Jumbos going into this season. Tufts has junior Oliver Bushnell, who played on the JV squad the past two seasons, as well as two freshmen candidates competing for the starting role.
"[The starting goalie] remains to be seen," Gilbert said. "None of these guys have a lot of experience in NESCAC-type games for the varsity. [However], our defense will be strong enough to cover for any weakness we might have in the goal."
Tufts will finalize its roster this week. Players returned to campus Aug. 22 and began the official preseason on Aug. 31. Today's scrimmage will help coach Ralph Ferrigno gauge what he has to work with this year.
"The scrimmage will decide a lot of things for the coach about who the final 18 will be for the trip to Colby on Saturday," Gilbert said.
Despite its mediocre record last year, Tufts fought hard against many of the NESCAC's most talented squads last season. The team knocked off third-place finisher Bowdoin 3-2 in overtime. It also hung in with NESCAC champion and national runner up Williams, losing by just one goal, 2-1. The Jumbos' heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to second-place Middlebury in the first round of the playoffs, in which the squad led 3-0 at the 75-minute mark before surrendering four goals in 16 minutes, illustrated the team's ability to compete against some of the league's best and also echoed the Jumbos' year-long frustrations.
With an off-season coaching controversy and the 2004 season behind them, the Jumbos have regrouped with their veteran core and feel confident going into this fall.
"It was the consensus that anyone who was going to be playing and having an important role this year was behind the coach," Gilbert said, regarding last season's controversy. "We're optimistic about this season; there's a lot to prove after last year."
