The Boston Celtics of the 1960's, the UCLA men's basketball teams of the 1970's, and the New England Patriots of recent memory have all put together back-to-back (and, often, back-to-back-to-back) season streaks. Unlike the men's soccer team's three-peat, however, these pro teams' results were positive. For the third year in a row, the Jumbos head into the offseason with the bitter taste of a one-goal loss at Middlebury still present and likely to linger in their minds throughout the winter.
Over the course of the season, the team had difficulty stringing together wins and, more times than it cares to remember, gave away leads in the second half of winnable games. In fact, the team's longest winning streak of the season, a two-game stretch with victories over Amherst and Rhode Island College in late September, could have doubled in length if Tufts had hung on to leads against Salve Regina before the streak began, and at Bowdoin on the tail end.
The team lost three games after coughing up second-half leads, and, had it kept these leads in even two of these contests, it would be looking at a record over .500 rather than this season's 5-8-2 (4-5 NESCAC) mark.
"At the end of the day I don't think we should be looking for excuses," coach Ralph Ferrigno said. "In quite a good percentage of games, we played very well but didn't get the results our performance merited. At that point, you just have to throw your hands up and say that you didn't get the job done."
Despite coming up short, there are bright spots to take away from the Jumbos' 2005 campaign. As a young team, Tufts continued to integrate sophomores who saw extended time as freshmen into the program.
Second year midfielders Greg O'Connell, Dan Jozwiak, and Bob Kastoff all started in the majority of the team's games this season and all found their way onto the score sheet. Sophomore defenders Andrew Drucker and Derek Engelking were also regular starters, and classmates Alex Bedig and Matt Maloney made significant contributions in the backfield. With seven sophomores bringing significant experience into their junior seasons, the Jumbos will benefit from a large upperclassmen core stepping up to lead 2006.
The freshman class had a few standouts of its own. Goalkeeper Brian Dulmovits, stepping into the starter's role in his first year, allowed 1.54 goals per game and posted a .711 save percentage growing into the job as the season progressed. First-year midfielders Peter DeGregorio and Sam James also made noteworthy contributions in 2005 and will likely see increased playing time as sophomores.
"The team was very young and came together well," Ferrigno said. "But we didn't do as well results-wise as I think we would have liked to."
While the contributions from the underclassmen certainly bode well for the future, the team's offensive bright spot for 2006 resides in the form of junior striker Mattia Chason. His nine goals and 20 points led the team and were fourth- and sixth-best in the NESCAC, respectively. If he continues his offensive output and leadership as a senior, the Jumbos will come into 2006 with an explosive and experienced offensive weapon.
Ferrigno commented on the Chason's ability to work hard in the offseason and maintain his form for next season in order to become one of the NESCAC's best offensive players.
"I think, as with all players, it's in his hands," Ferrigno said. "I feel that as long as he keeps working it's very possible that he can go from strength to strength. I think one thing the team will have learned this season is that since the league is so competitive, we have to be working year-round."
Fellow juniors Ben Castellot, a striker, and 2005 tri-captain Jon Glass, a defender, are primed to return as seniors in 2006 to fill in the nucleus of the team.
Injuries played a role in the team's difficulties this fall. Midseason setbacks to Glass and O'Connell hurt, but perhaps the biggest loss was the sidelining of junior defender Aaron Nass in the preseason.
"Aaron is a proven varsity player," Ferrigno said. "I think he certainly would have contributed, and going into the season he was a starter. But I feel that we had enough depth that we should have been able to cope with losing him."
While the coach acknowledged that Nass' presence would have been beneficial, he did not use injuries as an excuse and was quick to point out that one of the team's best performances, a 2-0 shutout of Amherst on Sept. 24, came when the team was not at full strength.
"One of our better results was when we defeated Amherst when we were missing Jon Glass and Greg O'Connell," he said.
Despite all the positives that can be taken from the 2005 season, in the end, it still boils down to wins, losses and performance in the playoffs. The team's goals for 2006 will be to emulate this season's growth while making its hard work show up in the standings.
"I haven't talked to players individually or collectively yet, but I know at the end of the day it was still an enjoyable season," Ferrigno said of next year. "They're a great group; there's a great harmony. They worked hard. There are a lot of positives, but I don't think they can be satisfied with the results, and that rest of the coaching staff and I are certainly not satisfied."
