If there is one word that can aptly describe the 2007 men's soccer season, it's unlucky.
"We suffered the same problems throughout the entire season," sophomore Bear Duker said. "We were good at the beginning and good at the end - we just had trouble scoring. We were unlucky for a lot of the time."
The Jumbos turned in tight play game after game. The defensive unit never surrendered more than two goals in a match, and goalkeepers David McKeon and Pat Tonelli were both solid in net. Still, Tufts' offense struggled.
"Finishing was our biggest problem," junior Peter DeGregorio said. "We didn't let up more than two goals all season, but that statistic doesn't matter if you don't put the ball in the back of the net."
But perhaps most importantly, Tufts never got a break, culminating in the team's final game, a season-ending loss to a previously winless Conn. College squad.
For instance, in Tufts' second game of the season against MIT, senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell's goal put the Jumbos up by one early in the second half. The Engineers rallied to tie the game less than 20 minutes later. After MIT took the lead less than 10 minutes later, misfortune was cast upon Tufts, as Duker hit the post late in the game in his attempt to tie the score. That unlucky shot would ultimately be the start of a four-game skid for the Jumbos.
Or take the Jumbos' heated NESCAC contest against rival Williams on Oct. 20. As in the MIT game, the Jumbos took a 1-0 lead early in the second half, but the success was short-lived, as Tufts fell victim to a controversial penalty-kick call that led to a goal and ultimately a 2-1 loss.
And, of course, take Saturday, when the Jumbos needed just a win over the 0-5-3 Conn. College Camels to clinch a spot in the NESCAC Tournament. But leading 1-0 with just 11 seconds left, Tufts relinquished a game-tying goal before falling in overtime, cutting the season short.
But this season was about more than misfortune. While the defense was strong, the Jumbos' offense seemed absent for much of the season. Returning players know that the team must take responsibility for some of the year's bad luck and focus on improvements for next season.
"I've played sports long enough to know that you can't blame anything else for a successful or not-so-successful season," DeGregorio said. "Our season is on us. We might've had a couple of unlucky bounces, but we can't fool ourselves. The games we won we deserved to win, and the games we lost we deserved to lose."
"We had trouble scoring," Duker said. "It's as much as on the midfielders and defenders as it is on the forwards. We need a better attacking style."
The team did enjoy a stretch where it won four of six games and vaulted itself into contention for a spot in the NESCAC Tournament. Following the four-game losing streak that began with MIT, the Jumbos looked especially strong against Plymouth State, whom they shut out 5-0, and Trinity, whom they beat 3-0 on Parents' Weekend. But back-to-back NESCAC losses to Williams and Conn. College sealed the team's fate.
Next season, the team will have the challenge of overcoming the loss of eight seniors. While freshmen and sophomores gained much-needed experience, Tufts will put a far different squad on the field next fall.
"We improved in almost every aspect of our play," senior tri-captain Alex Bedig said. "I don't really feel that's relevant. Most of the players are graduating, and it's a different team now."
The Jumbos know they will enter next year with a great deal of uncertainty.
"Next season is a long way away," Duker said. "We have a lot of good freshmen. Who knows what the recruiting class will be? It's kind of hard to tell."
