On a drizzly afternoon at Kraft Field, the men's soccer team rebounded from a 3-1 loss on Saturday to emerge as 2-0 victors over the visiting UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs yesterday.
The Jumbos have won six of their past seven matches and have conceded only five goals in that span, while UMass-Dartmouth suffered its third defeat in four games. The victory pushed Tufts above .500 for the first time this season, advancing its record to 6-5-1, while the Corsairs fell to 5-7-1 overall.
Despite the win and its implications for the team's record, coach Ralph Ferrigno was unimpressed with his team's play during the match.
"We did not perform to the same level that we were at prior to [losing to] Trinity," Ferrigno said. "After we scored, something came out of our play. We need to stay focused for the entire 90 minutes or the lapses will cost us against better opposition."
Junior striker Dan Jozwiak opened the scoring in the 20th minute with his sixth goal of the season. Freshman Ari Kobren sent the ball towards the UMass-Dartmouth goal and Jozwiak capitalized on a Corsair defensive miscue.
"Ari played a long ball into the box, and their sweeper misplayed it," Jozwiak said. "I was running on and had an easy chance and finished it."
The Jumbos controlled the rest of the half, creating opportunities and moving the ball crisply. Tufts' offensive pressure forced the Corsairs' junior goalkeeper Adam Rolfe into five saves on the day.
UMass-Dartmouth came out firing to start the second half, but the Jumbos withstood the Corsairs' flurry without giving up an equalizer. Freshman goalkeeper Pat Tonelli made several saves to keep UMass-Dartmouth off the scoreboard, and Ferrigno said he was pleased with his keeper's performance.
"Goalkeeper is the hardest position to come into as a freshman, but Pat's done well," Ferrigno said. "The more he's played, the better he's gotten."
Tufts picked up an insurance goal in the 59th minute, when junior midfielder and tri-captain Greg O'Connell trapped a corner kick and fed senior tri-captain Jon Glass for the defender's third goal of the season.
"The corner came in, and I managed to get a foot to it and bring it down," O'Connell said. "I found Jon on an overlap, and he finished it nicely."
"I don't think Jon scored a single goal in practice in his first three years here, let alone in a varsity match," Ferrigno added. "This season, he's netted three. He's a secret weapon for us now."
After Glass scored, the Corsairs struggled to penetrate the Jumbo defense, and opportunities for UMass-Dartmouth were limited the rest of the way. The same could not be said for Tufts, however, as shots from Jozwiak in the 76th minute, senior striker Mattia Chason in the 81st minute, and junior midfielder Alex Botwinick in the 82nd minute all appeared goal-bound, but sprawling saves by Rolfe denied the trio. Tufts outshot UMass-Dartmouth 17-6 on the game.
With the victory, the Jumbos recorded their fifth shutout in seven games. Junior defender Andrew Drucker praised the back line's leadership, especially citing the presence of senior Aaron Nass on the back line.
"We have two juniors and two seniors starting on defense, and I think you can see that experience in our organization and communication," Drucker said. "Aaron's return after missing last season has made a difference."
Another leg up for the Jumbos on Tuesday was O'Connell's return to the starting lineup after he missed several matches with an injury. In addition to assisting on Glass's goal, O'Connell steadied a midfield lacking sophomore starter Peter DeGregorio, who was suspended for one match following his red card against Trinity.
"Watching from the sideline sucks, especially when we're going out there and recording big wins," O'Connell said. "After missing a lot of action, I feel like I have a ton of energy; I'm starting to get my groove back."
The Jumbos will get a chance to add another win to their turnaround season and return to the high level of play Ferrigno saw against Trinity when they take on NESCAC rival Williams at home this Saturday. The Ephs are 10-1-0 on the season, and their 5-1-0 record against league opponents puts them in third place. But that single loss came on Saturday, when they fell 3-2 to Middlebury in double overtime.
"All the pressure is on them," Jozwiak said. "They're the ones in contention for the league title; we're just going to come out and play."
"Williams is coming off a tough loss at home," O'Connell added. "We're expecting them to be out for blood."
