No. 12 men's soccer defeats No. 11 Conn. College 2–0 on Homecoming

The No. 12 Tufts men’s soccer team defeated a strong No. 11 Conn. College side 2–0 on Saturday afternoon on Bello Field. After a midseason slump lasting much of October that saw them go 1–2–2, the Jumbos saw the Homecoming game as an opportunity to get back on track. Tufts is now 9–2–2 overall and 5–1–2 in NESCAC play, good for the outright No. 2 seed in the conference.

Junior defender/midfielder Derek Enge spoke about the importance of the Homecoming game for the Jumbos.

"I think for us it was a lot about getting back to the basics and remembering what Tufts soccer is all about," Enge said. "For us, that came on Homecoming weekend that marked the five year anniversary of our 2014 national championship. We played defensively and worked with each other. We're trying to get back to playing like ourselves instead of getting caught up on anything else."

With a riotous crowd behind them consisting of a flock of alumni present for Homecoming, the Jumbos went on the attack early on. Senior midfielder Zach Lane found senior forward Joe Braun on the right side of the 18-yard box, who fired a shot just wide. Tufts capitalized on its first corner of the game shortly thereafter. 

Junior midfielder Travis Van Brewer lofted a ball into the box that was henceforth punched into the air by Camel goalkeeper AJ Marcucci. Lane swiftly retrieved the ball and ripped an initial shot that Marcucci saved. However, Lane recovered the ball and fired a second shot that flew past Marcucci to send Tufts into a 1–0 lead only six minutes into the contest. 

Lane commented on the play that won the Jumbos their first goal.

"It's a play that we planned," Lane said. "We made it this week. My position was to stand in front of the goalie and win any seconds I could. The ball fell to me, I took a shot. The goalie saved it, but I had another shot at it and that one went in."

The Jumbos continued to dominate possession in the first half. In the 14th minute, Lane passed the ball in to senior midfielder Brett Rojas, who attempted a back-heel shot that he chipped. Rojas found the ball again and shot another attempt at Marcucci, who made another save.

The Camels earned their first strong scoring opportunity in the 21st minute when Anthony Aquadro drove the ball down the left before crossing to Liam Noonan inside the box. MT Tshuma then collected the ball and, similarly to Rojas just minutes prior, took a back-heel shot that missed its target. The Camels followed up with three crucial corner kick opportunities, but none were seriously threatening.

At the closing of the first half, junior midfielder/forward Mati Cano almost found the net for the Jumbos. Cano drove the ball and attempted a shot that went just wide left, and the Jumbos moved into the second half up by one goal.

The Camels claimed possession more often in the second half; however, they were unable to produce an equalizer. Tufts similarly struggled to capitalize on its possessions with multiple failed shot attempts.

With just under seven minutes remaining in regulation, Enge sent a cross to the far post, where Braun headed in the Jumbos' final goal of the match, sealing the Jumbos' victory.

The 2–0 victory was a confidence boost for the Jumbos and has serious postseason implications moving into the NCAA tournament. 

Enge spoke about the attitude his team had that led to the Homecoming win.

"After the game, our coach said our performance reminded him of past Tufts teams," Enge said. "Maybe we played a little less skilled, but we had grit and aggression. It was good for our self confidence to get a win there, especially coming off of a tough two week stretch. We're just going to try to keep up the good mentality and performance."

The Jumbos return to play Saturday when they host the Middlebury Panthers, who are ranked fifth in NESCAC, in their second-to-last NESCAC competition of the regular season. The game is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. on Bello Field. 

Enge spoke about the upcoming game against the Panthers.

"We tied Middlebury last year on their field," Enge said. " They're a good team, very well organized, and tough to break down defensively. It's going to be a tough game for us, and we have to be ready for it. We're looking forward to the challenge and hoping to build off our [Conn. College] performance."