With the unrelenting rain soaking a slippery Kraft Field, the men's soccer team never found its footing in a 4-0 loss to the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Saturday. With the NESCAC loss, Tufts fell to 3-5 on the year and 2-3 in league action.
"It's very disappointing," junior tri-captain Jon Glass said. "These kinds of games are weird because the weather does play a factor, but it's the same for both teams. Our skill was up there with them, it just seemed like the ball was not gliding our way with the rain."
Despite the returns from injury of Glass and sophomore midfielder Greg O'Connell, the Jumbos faced a driving Bowdoin offense that rivaled the driving precipitation Mother Nature sent to Medford. Tufts held tight for the first ten minutes, but began to allow Bowdoin more quality looks at the goal after Glass left the game with a head injury in the tenth minute.
"My ankle felt fine, that's the good news," Glass said. "Then of course with my luck I got knocked in the face and had to come out."
Glass would remain side-lined for the duration of the first half after receiving six stitches in his forehead. He resumed his position in the back four after halftime, when the Jumbos were down 3-0.
The Polar Bears failed to capitalize on their first legitimate opportunity of the day when senior tri-captain Mike Guigli, perfectly-positioned, headed the ball out of the goal after a Bowdoin corner kick. The Bears, however, would not remain scoreless for long.
Bowdoin found the back of the net for the first of its three first half goals in the 18th minute. Junior midfielder John Hollis received the ball from classmate Simon Parsons amidst the chaos in front of the Tufts goal. Hollis left his feet with a driving shot past freshman goalkeeper Brain Dulmovits to put Bowdoin up 1-0.
The Polar Bears shocked the Jumbos by adding their second goal just three minutes later. Sophomore midfielder Nick Figueiredo skillfully dribbled through the Tufts defense and the standing water on the field. He then punished the ball into the low corner of the net past a charging Dulmovits.
Tufts held strong in the middle for the subsequent 15 minutes, but relinquished its third goal of the day with just under ten minutes to play in the half. Sophomore midfielder Mike Howard took a shot on net, but Dulmolvits batted it away. Hollis charged in on the rebound to finish the goal.
Sophomore forward Dan Jozwiak had Tufts' best opportunity of the day just minutes after the third Bowdoin goal. After muscling through several Bowdoin defenders, Jozwiak found himself in the open with only Bowdoin sophomore keeper Nathan Lovitz between the ball and a 3-1 score. Jozwiak lined a shot to Lovitz's left, but the agile keeper sprawled in front stifling the Tufts chance.
Tufts' chances on net were few and far between for the rest of the match. Glass cites this lack of offensive production as a key point on which the Jumbos need to improve.
"Most of our goals have come from the midfield," Glass said. "We need to get the forwards more involved; get them the ball and get them moving. We need to be keeping high pressure and urgency up in the box."
Being down 3-0 at halftime was a scenario the Jumbos had yet to see this season. The team had held its previous opponents scoreless in the first half through seven games.
Coming out in the second half, Tufts looked more tenacious, but still could not find that elusive first goal that might have changed the momentum in its favor. Conditions continued to worsen as the rain kept falling making ball control difficult and dribbling nearly impossible on some areas of the pitch. Both teams struggled to stay on their feet and generate plays.
"There's nothing you can do but try to keep it off the wet surface and in the air. The ball is a lot faster," Glass said. "Also when I came back it seemed like the intensity was just not there."
Bowdoin tallied a final goal in the 63rd minute. Sophomore forward Wolf Grueber took a pass from Parsons to send the ball past Dulmolvits and reach the final 4-0 score.
Tufts will face Plymouth State College on the road tomorrow. The Jumbos will use this non-league match-up as a chance to get back on their feet in preparation for their final home game set for this Saturday against NESCAC rival Trinity.
