It was a season of extremes for the men's soccer team.
After a preseason tour of England, the Jumbos started the year with a woeful 0-4-1 record with little hope for the remainder of the season. The offense struggled, and the defense failed to contain stronger teams or hold onto leads.
However, as the team chemistry improved, coupled with the return of senior defender Aaron Nass, who suffered a collapsed lung last year, the team's fortunes improved significantly, ultimately reversing a poor start into a berth in the NESCAC Tournament. The team finished the year at 7-6-2 overall, with a 3-5-2 conference record.
"After a winless five-game opening, the team didn't throw in the towel," coach Ralph Ferrigno said. "The pace we set in the latter two-thirds [of the season] was what I expected of our team for the whole season. I give the team credit for not giving up and working hard to play at the level they were capable of."
After earning a tie and three losses in their first four NESCAC matches, the Jumbos needed an improbable turnaround to make a realistic run at a postseason berth. And they got it, sparked by a Sept. 26 game against Salve Regina, when Tufts clawed its way out of a losing streak with a decisive 5-0 victory.
This revamped Tufts team strung together its most dominant streak of victories in recent years to combat the hole it dug in the first five games. Following the Salve Regina victory, the Jumbos embarked on a five-game unbeaten streak, which saw the Jumbos outscore opponents 20-2.
The Jumbos quickly established themselves as a legitimate conference opponent and playoff contender. The most impressive win during this streak came on the road against Bowdoin, ranked fourth in New England at the time, when the Polar Bears suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Jumbos.
That victory was a showcase for the capabilities of the Jumbos' offense, as they put up five goals on a Bowdoin team coming off two straight shutouts against conference elites Middlebury and Amherst. The defense and goalkeeping were also crucial to maintaining the Jumbos' winning ways, as the Jumbos shut out four of their five opponents on the streak.
The winning streak came to an end against Trinity on Oct. 14, when Tufts fell 3-1, ushering in another inconsistent period. The Jumbos alternated victories and defeats, downing UMass Dartmouth before falling to NESCAC rival Williams at home. The team then clinched the NESCAC Tournament's seventh seed with a 2-1 victory over Conn. College on Oct. 28.
Perhaps the most appropriate ending for such a polar season was a return visit to the home field of the Amherst Lord Jeffs, a team that handily disposed of the Jumbos by a 2-0 score in the beginning of the year. In stark contrast to their lackluster initial showing, the Jumbos fought an admirable first-round battle against the Jeffs before succumbing in a penalty kick shootout after a 3-3 regulation tie.
Although the Jumbos were pleased that their season turned around after the team's dismal debut, the trend of first-round exits has become an epidemic.
"I'm happy with the second half of the season and our team's competitive attitude throughout the year," Glass said. "No matter what the outcome, we always had an emotionally invested drive in every minute we played.
"On paper, of course I'm disappointed with our result," Glass said. "This is my fourth year losing in the first round of the playoffs. It seems like we are always playing to just make the playoffs - I want to win the conference."
With the 2006 season in the books, the Jumbos look ahead to 2007, when they will be significantly hurt by the effects of graduation. The offense loses its lead scorer in senior Mattia Chason and a consistent striker in senior tri-captain Ben Castellot.
"The ability of the graduating seniors, in all honesty, is some of the best I've ever had," Ferrigno said. "Obviously it will be hard to replace skill-wise, but also the mental strength of the seniors will be an element that will be difficult to replace."
The Jumbos will rely on junior Andrew Drucker to assume control of the defense as the bedrock of the back four, as defensive strongholds Nass and Glass will be graduating.
Despite the loss of these mainstays, the squad has a strong returner in freshman goalkeeping standout Pat Tonelli. Tonelli logged almost all the Jumbos' game time in the net this year, compiling a 1.57 goals-against average, a .762 save percentage and four shutouts.
The offense also has its bright prospects for next season. Junior Dan Jozwiak's seven goals led the emergence of a balanced attack that featured 11 different goal scorers, compared to last year's six.
Eight of those 11 are returning, including freshman midfielder Bear Duker and junior forward Bob Kastoff, each of whom accumulated nine points this year. The midfield remains intact as all members will return with one more year of experience under their belts.
Junior tri-captain Greg O'Connell, who was injured off-and-on during the season, will return to captaincy as a senior to lead the Jumbos. O'Connell assessed his team's future with a veteran's knowledge of a season's turnover.
"Losing Jon and Aaron at center back positions will be a pretty big blow, but every year we lose guys," he said. "We're going to have to have new guys step up and assume leadership roles and pick up the scoring for the losses of Mattia and Ben. Jon was a great emotional leader and we're going have to find a way to replace the spark and inspiration he brought to our team."
