The final score in soccer is not always indicative of what occurred on the field.
In playing non-league UMass Dartmouth (UMD) to a 1-1 tie in double overtime on Tuesday, Tufts outshot the Corsairs 39-10, had a 14-2 edge in corner kicks, and played the majority of the game on UMD's side of the field. Despite the Jumbos' statistical domination, they were unable to come away with the win before beginning an all-important final three games against NESCAC foes.
"We basically had a lack of concentration in front of the goal," senior tri-captain Todd Gilbert said. "We got ourselves in good positions many times and then were just unable to get a quality shot on frame. If we had put half of the shots that we had on target, we probably would have blown the team out."
After a scoreless first half, UMD surprised the Jumbos by finding the back of the net first. A foul called on Tufts led to a 25-yard free kick from Corsair senior forward Tiago Pinto. His shot ricocheted off the post, was blocked by Tufts' freshman keeper Brian Dulmovits, but was then finished by UMD junior midfielder Seth Cabral.
"Their goal was off a cheap foul," Gilbert said "[Pinto] made a really nice shot. Brian made a great save, but we lost a little bit of concentration in the back and let [Cabral] walk in to get the goal."
In what could have been yet another late-game fall for the Jumbos, Tufts picked up the pace and began pummeling UMD keeper Kyle Fossey. The Jumbos maintained pressure on the opposing goal by pushing up in the back and generating consecutive corner kicks.
"The last part of the second half we had the ball in their box the entire time," Gilbert said. "We had six corners in a row and were just all over them."
Tufts' furious efforts to avoid its sixth loss of the season finally paid off with just under two minutes to play in regulation. Sophomore midfielder Greg O'Connell fired a shot from outside the box towards the upper right corner. In much the same way as UMD had scored twenty minutes earlier, the ball clanged off the post and then off the keeper for the rebound that sophomore forward Dan Jozwiak converted into a Tufts goal.
"O'Connell beat his man coming across the top of the box and then his shot deflected off the goalie and off the post," Jozwiak said. "I just kind of cleaned up the garbage I guess."
"The goal was really crucial because it came with just a few minutes left after we had completely dominated the team," Gilbert added. "It had been frustrating not to score. Greg had a great shot and Dan was there to tap it in."
With the score knotted at one, the Jumbos headed into overtime with the momentum of finally finishing one of their shots. Junior forward Mattia Chason and senior tri-captain midfielder Mike Guigli both had solid scoring chances in the extra periods, but came away empty handed. But despite their continued domination of the Corsairs in the extra period, the golden goal eluded the Jumbos, sending the team back to Medford with a 1-1 tie and a 4-5-2 overall record.
"During the last 25 minutes [of regulation] and both the overtime periods, we dominated the whole time," Jozwiak said. "Mattia had a chance, Guigli had a chance, everybody had chances. We just couldn't find the goal. Their goalie played nice and came up with a lot of big saves."
Tufts now will focus its attention on the last three games of its season. These final three road matches versus NESCAC opponents will determine the Jumbos' seeding in the playoffs. Tufts will start this stint on Saturday against perennial NESCAC powerhouse Williams.
"We're preparing as we usually do," Gilbert said of the team's strategy for this weekend. "For most of the season, our focus has been to get better with each game. But now the focus is totally on winning."
