The men's soccer team is in need of a win to turn the tide on a disappointing start to 2007. And if the Jumbos want to put a notch in the wins column this weekend, they'll have to do it against a formidable NESCAC opponent.
After opening the season with a 2-2 tie at Colby, the Jumbos endured a disappointing home opener against MIT, surrendering two late goals to allow the Engineers a come-from-behind victory.
Similarly on Sunday, Carthage senior Alex Laurn slipped the ball by junior goalkeeper David McKeon on a controversial play in front of the net in the 77th minute to defeat Tufts, 2-1. One day prior to that, Middlebury junior Casey Ftorek's blast from the top of the box early in the second half stole the game from the Jumbos, who dropped the game by a score of 1-0.
Tomorrow's matin?©e against Amherst will likely be no easier for a Tufts squad that now sits at 0-3-1. The Lord Jeffs, who finished the season on the heels of first-place Williams, opened their schedule this year with four wins, giving up just two goals in the process. The team will come to Medford coming off two consecutive shutouts over Bates and Curry, during which it outscored its opponents 8-0.
"We know they're a big, athletic team," senior tri-captain Andrew Drucker said. "We've done a lot of work the last couple days on controlling the ball and maintaining possession to control the tempo of the game."
Despite the Lord Jeffs' flawless record, first-year coach Justin Serpone believes the team still has some kinks to work out.
"We still have a long way to go," Serpone said. "I don't think we've played great soccer so far, and we need to understand our roles defensively a bit better. We're still very much a work in progress."
As for the Jumbos, while a sense of team cohesion has formed off the field, its presence on the pitch is somewhat lacking.
"We're missing a little bit of chemistry right now on the field," sophomore Ari Kobren said. "We've seen a lot of individual talent, but we need to see more of this team playing as a team."
If Tufts is to get that much-needed win on Saturday, it will have to get the ball to senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell, who leads the team in points through the first four games. The forward has three goals, including two in the season opener against Colby.
Despite the success on paper, O'Connell is still adjusting to the transition from midfield to the front line.
"In the past couple years, I haven't been scoring many goals," O'Connell said. "I got a chance to play up top this year with [sophomore forward] Dan [Schoenig], and I feel like I've taken the chances I've had pretty well. I'm still getting used to the position."
Success will also hinge on better second-half play. In addition to Laurn's dagger on Sunday, Tufts allowed two late strikes in the 71st and 78th minutes against MIT to forfeit what looked like a sure win.
"A lot of those goals have been mental lapses," Kobren said. "Other teams are capitalizing on our unluckiness."
"It's definitely been from a lack of focus," O'Connell said. "I feel we have the skill. We've been playing pretty solid soccer lately, and it's tough to point fingers in a situation like that. We need to focus for 90 minutes."
While the Jumbos have their work cut out for them tomorrow as they square off against the undefeated Lord Jeffs, the team is confident that buckling down mentally will stop up some of the holes in its play and bring home the Jumbos' first win of the season.
"We just need to keep our mental focus up," senior tri-captain Alex Bedig said. "If we do that, then the goals will come, and we should be able to keep the goals out of our own net."
