On the heels of a 2-1 victory over NESCAC rival Conn. College on Saturday, Tufts defeated the Springfield College Pride 2-0 Tuesday on Bello Field. With the win — which extended the Jumbos' undefeated streak to three games — they improved to 4-1-1 overall, their best record through six games since 1999.
After its veteran roster severely underperformed in 2007, Tufts, in what was thought to be a rebuilding year, has turned it around and already exceeded last year's squad. The team has displayed tremendous balance, collecting four shutouts in six matches while also improving its goals per game average from 1.29 last season to 1.50 this year.
"There's something to be said for coming into a season with nothing to lose," junior forward Dan Schoening said. "We haven't had seniors grilling us that this is their last year. There's been more of a feeling that this season will be what we make of it and that the sky is the limit."
Despite riding into Tuesday night's game on a high from the win against the Camels — the team that ended their hopes of a NESCAC tournament berth in 2007 — the Jumbos got off to a tepid start against the Pride. Springfield outshot Tufts 6-3 in the first half, forcing junior goalkeeper Pat Tonelli, who was making his first start of the season in place of senior tri-captain Dave McKeon, to make four key saves in order to keep the contest scoreless heading into the break.
At halftime, coach Ralph Ferrigno stressed the importance of being more aggressive offensively.
"Coach told us that we had been solid in the first half but that we needed to add a bit of creativity to the offense," Schoening said. "We were being a little bit predictable with our ball movement."
The second half told a different story. The Jumbos posted nine shots — their most in a single half this season — compared to just one from the Pride, taking control of possession. Tufts' first goal came in the 68th minute when sophomore forward Alex Lach headed the ball into the net off a cross from senior tri-captain Peter DeGregorio. The goal was the first of the season for Lach, who was second on the team in goals scored during his rookie year.
The Jumbos struck again 15 minutes later when Schoening blasted his team-leading third goal of the season into the right corner of the net off an assist from sophomore forward Mike Fitzgerald. Schoening credits the entire team's play up front with his and the rest of the offense's success thus far.
"None of the goals that I've scored have been created on my own," Schoening said. "We've had very few unassisted goals this season. My goal today was 100 percent because of the pass from Mike. It was a complete team play."
The team's closeness off the field has paid dividends on the field, where the squad has shown a tendency to play as a cohesive unit rather than as a group of individuals.
"It's helped that we have no one go-to guy up front or no one stalwart on defense to rely on," Tonelli said. "Everyone knows their role and everyone has contributed."
"We've built up a lot of trust among the people on the field," Schoening said. "People are giving the ball up first knowing that they'll probably get it back. We're continually playing more as a team. The defense has been absolutely lights out, and we're building up momentum for this weekend."
This weekend's contest will be the team's Homecoming matchup with conference rival Bates, a team the Jumbos have beaten two years running, including a thrilling overtime win in Lewiston, Maine last season.
"This game means a lot," Tonelli said. "There are a lot of soccer alumni coming back, which is a good feeling. But it's still a NESCAC game. In our conference, the bottom team can beat the top team in any game, so we have to be ready for a tough, physical game."
