After watching a 1-0 halftime lead turn into a 2-1 second-half deficit, it looked like more of the same for the Men's soccer team in Saturday's Homecoming game against Trinity. But behind junior striker Mattia Chason, Tufts was able to rally to a 3-2 overtime victory in the pouring rain on Bello Field.
The Homecoming win was the first for the team's seniors.
"[To win at home on Homecoming] was most important for our seniors," junior
tri-captain Jon Glass said. "This is the last time our seniors played at home, and they hadn't won a Homecoming game in their years, and we really pulled it together for them."
The Jumbos dominated the game in the opening minutes, getting on the scoreboard only two minutes into the contest. It was senior tri-captain Mike Guigli who set the table, finding sophomore midfielder Greg O'Connell, who headed in his third goal of the season to put Tufts up 1-0.
While Tufts controlled the play early, the action evened out later in the first half, and the Jumbos had to settle for a one-goal lead heading into the break.
As has been the story many times this season, the Jumbos' opponents came out hungry after halftime. In the 55th minute, Trinity freshman Matt Miller beat freshman goalkeeper Brian Dulmovits (six saves) to even the score at one. The Bantams refused to settle, however, and went up 2-1 in the 68th minute when sophomore forward Charlie Fuentes found senior Jeff Hodge for the goal.
Just when it appeared that the Jumbos were about to suffer their third loss in four games, Chason knocked in an equalizing goal three minutes later. After sophomore defender Derek Engelking headed a ball beyond two Bantam defenders, Chason found himself facing only Trinity freshman goalkeeper Zac Trudeau and capitalized to even the score once again in the 71st minute.
Neither team was able to find a go-ahead tally in the final 20 minutes of regulation, and so the stage was set for overtime. The extra period lasted less than a minute, however, as Chason took a cross from Guigli and found the goal for the game-winner.
Unlike other times this season when the team faced adversity in the second half, Tufts was able to fight back and not only tie the game, but find a golden goal to win in overtime.
"It was great [to make a comeback in the second half]," Glass said. "We did the same thing at Plymouth State [last Wednesday], and I think we fed off that momentum and realized we really could dig down deep and out-heart people in the second half. We started out flat, but we had some key players step it up for us."
Chason's two tallies marked his third multi-goal game of the season, giving him a team-leading seven goals and 16 points. Guigli's two assists were his second and third of the season, and he sits behind Chason with nine points. This game also continued a pattern that reflects Chason's importance to the team's success. The junior has contributed either an assist or a goal in all of Tufts' wins and ties.
"I don't think it's a coincidence at all," Glass said. "He's very poised and consistent up top. When he gets the ball, he knows what to do with it. He makes some good runs and the ball always finds his foot and gets into the net."
Tufts moves to 4-5-1 with the win and brings its record in the NESCAC back to .500 at 3-3. The loss sends Trinity to 3-7 overall, and keeps them winless in the conference at 0-7.
"Trinity is the bottom of the conference, and they weren't even a bad team," Glass said. "It just shows how good the conference really is. Every game is going to be hard-fought in the NESCAC."
The Jumbos now sit at seventh place in the league, but are within striking distance of Amherst, Wesleyan and Bates. The team's Oct. 25 showdown at Wesleyan will help determine the Jumbos' postseason seeding, although the team has yet to officially secure a spot in the seven-team field.
Next on the radar for Tufts is a trip to UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday afternoon, in what will be the team's final non-conference game of the season and the first game of a four-game road trip to close out the fall campaign. The contest with the Corsairs will serve as a good tune-up for the team's crucial final three NESCAC showdowns.
"I think it's the same exact strategy [whether it's a conference or a non-conference game]," Glass said. "We need all the confidence and all the momentum we can get, so we approach every game like it's our last."
