The men's soccer team added another painful chapter to its perennial struggles against Middlebury on Saturday, as the Panthers came away with a decisive victory on their home turf.
The Jumbos fell victim to an explosive second half that left them on the losing end of a 4-1 score. The loss marked the Jumbos' seventh consecutive loss at the hands of Middlebury over the past three seasons, including one-goal losses in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Junior forward Dan Jozwiak commented on the mental aspect of the team's past with the Panthers.
"They've ended our seasons the past [three] years," Jozwiak said. "It seems to dominate our confidence going into the games. Being away at Middlebury ...they seem to have our number."
Middlebury overpowered Tufts with its size and depth Saturday, out-muscling the Jumbos throughout the contest.
"Middlebury is a big, athletic team that is able to have multiple subs and few 90-minute starters, which tired us out and wore us down in the second half," junior tri-captain Greg O'Connell said. "They were able to get a lot of balls in over our heads which helped them to gain the upper hand."
The visiting Jumbos overcame the early defensive woes that plagued them during their previous two matches and started the match with unrelenting offensive pressure. But the team squandered multiple opportunities to capture an early lead in the game's first 10 minutes.
Sophomore midfielder Sam James whistled a shot wide in the opening minute, denying the Jumbos a chance to take start the game with a bang. Minutes later, senior forward Mattia Chason and junior forward Dan Jozwiak each had great looks at the goal but failed to convert.
Middlebury senior co-captain Zack Toth was strong in goal for the Panthers, as he silenced the Jumbos' early attempts to find the back of the net. Toth finished the game with three saves, while Tufts freshman Pat Tonelli made four stops for the Jumbos.
Unlike the slow-starting Jumbos, Middlebury did not have to wait for their scoring touch to mature, as they efficiently netted four of their eight shots on goal. The first of these goals came in the 30th minute, as sophomore forward Casey Ftorek was set up by a ball overhead and quickly buried his opportunity into the bottom-right corner of the goal.
The score remained 1-0 for the remainder of the first half, but the second half brought a reversal of momentum, as Middlebury scored two quick goals in the 46th and 51st minutes. Senior John Sales opened up the second half with a blast into the top-right corner of the net. The third goal was more controversial, as a pass set up a potentially offside Middlebury sophomore forward Baer Fisher in for an uncontested goal.
"We outplayed them in the first half, but they came out in the second and scored in the first minute," Jozwiak said. "They scored a couple minutes later, and that really killed our momentum. It was an unfortunate loss because we could have easily won if we scored on our early opportunities."
Tufts provided its only bright spot of the box score soon after in the 60th minute when freshman forward Bear Duker fired a ball just under the crossbar from outside the box on a feed from Mattia Chason. It was Duker's first goal of his young collegiate career.
The goal, however, had little impact on the complexion of the game, as Middlebury continued to control the second half and eventually scored a demoralizing fourth goal to end the game in a disappointing 4-1 loss for the Jumbos.
The Jumbos will have to rebound quickly, as they face undefeated Wesleyan Tuesday evening, taking on the Cardinals at 6 p.m. at Kraft Field. The defending NESCAC champion Cardinals are 2-0 overall and 1-0 in league play, courtesy of a 2-1 win over Trinity on Saturday.
