Tufts senior forward Dan Schoening had his fair share of missed opportunities against Suffolk on Tuesday. But when the game was on the line, he redeemed himself, giving the Jumbos a 2-1 victory, their first of the season.
"It was important just for everyone's spirits and to get that monkey off our back," junior defender Ron Coleman said. "But we knew that we played some tough opponents and we knew we would get a win at some point. It was just a matter of time."
With 4:19 to play in the first overtime, junior Mike Fitzgerald fired a shot at the Suffolk net. But Rams junior keeper Jack DeJesus, who was recently named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference goalkeeper of the week, made what looked like a game-saving stop. He failed to corral the ball, however, and the rebound came to Schoening, who headed it in below the crossbar for the golden goal.
The play made up for a series of near-misses by the senior earlier in the game and in overtime. Schoening, the team's leading scorer last season with eight goals, had two chances to put the team ahead, but he missed a penalty shot in the first half and sent a shot high and wide earlier in the overtime period.
"Already this season we have lost in overtime, and it is a really bad feeling," senior tri-captain Bear Duker said. "So we really wanted to win. And obviously it was really good when he scored and he missed a penalty kick and redeemed himself.
"Dan is a real good player, but sometimes real good players miss a shot," he added. "It is telling of him that he scored that goal."
For the Jumbos, the goal was well-deserved, as they dominated the overtime period and a great deal of the game. Tufts got off the only three shots in extra time, and finished the game with 10 more shots than Suffolk. The Jumbos also had the edge in corners on the night, finishing with a 9-4 advantage. For a team that had out-shot its opponent just once over its first five games, extra offensive pressure made a substantial difference.
"Obviously the teams we played before were stronger teams with better defense, especially the NESCAC teams because the NESCAC is the best division for men's soccer in Div. III in the whole country," Duker said. "So it is hard to win and get goals in those, and I think that was part of it."
"We had two or three goals called back, so 2-1 in overtime doesn't really state how we played," he added. "It should have been a four or five to one win."
The game was tied at one thanks to two quick first-half goals. Less than two minutes into the game, sophomore defender Stratos Saropoulos sent a header at the Suffolk net that hit the post. Classmate Matt Blumenthal, however, was properly positioned to gather the rebound, scoring his first goal of the season.
For Tufts, it was just the second game this season in which the team held a lead. But it would be short-lived, as less than a minute later the Rams scored an equalizer. Senior forward Nick Celia sent a pass over the top of the Tufts midfield to classmate Bernhard Lotterer. The forward took the ball and slotted in a low shot past Jumbos senior keeper tri-captain Pat Tonelli.
"We came out well," Coleman said. "We scored a goal and could have made things a lot easier for ourselves if we hadn't had that mental lapse and let them score ... I thought we dealt with it pretty well not giving up another goal."
Both teams had opportunities to score later in the game, each having a defender step in for a key save with the goalie out of position. But neither side could muster a goal over the next 93 minutes until Schoening's game winner.
"We had a couple shots where they saved it on the line — we were all wondering how those didn't go in," Coleman said.
The win brings the Jumbos' record to 1-4-1 on the season, while Suffolk falls to 4-2-2. Tufts will try to carry the momentum from its victory into Saturday's game at Bates, where the team will be searching for its first NESCAC win.
"It is definitely good to get that first win, but personally I don't think too much about games that are out of conference," Duker said. "To me everything is about the NESCAC wins."
