In the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday, men’s soccer lost to Bowdoin College on penalty kicks after fighting to come back from a Bowdoin goal in the first half. Regulation and overtime finished in a 1–1 tie, with Bowdoin advancing 4–3 on penalty kicks.
Both teams fought through a tough first half. After 42 minutes, Bowdoin scored a goal, putting pressure on Tufts. Two minutes into the second half, the Jumbos brought the score to 1–1 with a goal by graduate student forward Mikey Brady, assisted by junior midfielder Daniel Yanez and senior defender Taylor Feinberg.
“I thought [Brady] had a really good game,” Yanez said. “I think, coming back for a fifth year, you really want to show up in big moments. Getting that goal was pretty big for us, even though we didn’t end up winning the game.”
One strength Tufts showed was their ability to shift the momentum in their favor during the second half.
“We did well to limit their chances through the run of play and we converted on a set-piece to get ourselves back into the game after going down 1-0,” Feinberg wrote in an email to the Daily. “We showed great fight to score so quickly after going down which we have done a few times this season.”
Yanez hopes that the Jumbos can continue their trend of being able to come back from behind during their games.
“We conceded in the first half, and then I think we did a good job fighting back and making it 1–1. Even though it didn’t pan out the way we would have hoped in penalties,” Yanez said. “I think that bodes well for the NCAA tournament and our ability to hopefully come back if we concede a goal at any point.”
After tying the score in regular time, the two squads went into two overtime periods, where only three shots were registered between both sides. Though the game ended as a draw, Bowdoin and Tufts took penalty kicks to decide who advanced to the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament. Each team attempted five shootout goals. Bowdoin made four while Tufts only made three, advancing Bowdoin to the semifinals.
Feinberg explained that Bowdoin’s unique playing style makes them difficult to play against. Though they weren’t ranked highly in the NESCAC compared to Tufts, Bowdoin still made a formidable opponent. This isn’t the first time this season that Tufts has tied with Bowdoin. When they competed against each other in October, it ended in a 2–2 draw.
“I think Bowdoin has a bunch of pretty skilled players and they aren’t the most traditional NESCAC team in terms of play style, so they brought a different approach from many of the teams we have seen this year,” Feinberg wrote.
Feinberg explained that Tufts got increasingly tired as the game went on, making it more difficult to generate offense and get over the 1–1 stalemate.
“We didn't move the ball as well as we wanted to in the second half and as players’ legs got increasingly tired as the game progressed, we didn’t maintain possession and played a style that [made it] difficult to maintain control of the game,” Feinberg wrote.
This was an especially tough loss for the Jumbos, who were ranked first in the NESCAC whereas the Polar Bears were ranked eighth. Though they won’t receive an automatic bid for winning the NESCAC, the Jumbos are hoping to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
“[It was] definitely a tough loss. I think it just shows the strength of the NESCAC that [even] against an eight seed, it's a really hard game,” Yanez said. “But we feel like we’re in a good spot, and we’re ready to turn around and hopefully give it a run in the national tournament.”
Feinberg explained that a lot of the players are tired or injured from the season. He hopes that the team can use the time they have before the NCAA tournament starts to rest and recuperate.
“We now have two weeks until the NCAA tournament starts which will be massive for us to get players healthy since we have struggled with a ton of injuries throughout the season,” Feinberg wrote. “We are going to fine tune certain aspects of our game and come into the NCAA tournament with fresh legs, which is a huge advantage after a grueling NESCAC season where every game is a battle.”
Yanez explained that though the game against Bowdoin was tough, he is also looking forward to the NCAA tournament and feels good about Tufts’s prospects there.
“It’s been a long season … so I think legs are a little heavy, we’re a little tired, and I don’t think … we were mentally as focused as we should have been, especially on the goal,” Yanez said. “I think there were a few mistakes that we made [with] a little bit of a lapse of focus. … Hopefully, with a week and a half … until the NCAA tournament starts, … we’ll be feeling super fresh and … ready to go.”
