Tuesday night's clash with Mass. Maritime had all of the makings of the perfect tune-up game for the men's soccer team. The Buccaneers had dropped four straight matches and had been shutout in their last three. Tufts was at home and was looking to repeat its 4-1 non-conference victory over Endicott this past week and thus double its win total.
What the Jumbos were not prepared for was an extraordinary performance from Mass. Maritime's freshman goalkeeper Brett Young and an extremely opportunistic opposing attack. A few top-class saves from Young and a couple of defensive lapses by the Jumbos, and the team found itself on the wrong side of a 2-0 result.
Young's older brother, Derek, a sophomore, opened the scoring for the Buccaneers in the first half, while senior Kevin McCord put the game away late in the second. The Jumbos controlled possession for much of the game but could never quite make it count.
From the opening whistle, Tufts was clearly the aggressor. Sophomore forward Franco Silva spent much of the first 20 minutes less than a step behind Mass. Maritime's center backs, and his agile runs through the middle immediately had the opponents retreating.
Just three minutes in, Tufts' senior forward Mike Fitzgerald put Silva in behind the defense with a well-placed through ball. But Young came off his line and deflected Silva's attempt.
A few minutes later, Silva had another chance, this time fed by junior midfielder Matt Blumenthal. Silva slipped through the defenders but once again found Young off his line, denying him to keep the match scoreless.
"You can coach just about everything, but it is hard to coach those individual moments in front of goal," coach Josh Shapiro said. "The question becomes: Are our guys brave enough to make plays on crosses and are they composed enough to handle those one-v-one situations? Tonight we weren't."
On the next offensive attack, sophomore midfielder John Lewis's cross almost found an unmarked Silva on the far side, and senior quad-captain Ron Coleman ripped a low shot from the edge of the box that just missed wide left.
The Buccaneers were quiet for much of the first half but entered the game offensively in a big way in the 34th minute. Junior midfielder Ryan Fischer brought the ball down the right side, drawing a pair of Tufts defenders with him. Fischer saw his opportunity and worked a low cross in toward goal. Derek Young was waiting for it at the top of the box and, finding himself unmarked, one-timed it into the bottom corner of the goal, past the outstretched arm of junior goalkeeper Zach Cousens.
"We've got to get a little bit tighter in the back," Shapiro said. "I thought we were getting pulled around a little bit, and both goals came from center backs getting pulled out of the middle and a central midfield player not helping in those areas."
Now chasing the Buccaneers, the Jumbos continued to rack up opportunities. In the 41st minute, sophomore forward Kieran Lewis got behind the defense before being dragged down in the box. A penalty kick was awarded and after discussion, junior defender Jesse Poon stepped up to take it. But his shot flew wide right, never challenging Young.
"The players made [the penalty kick decision]," Shapiro said. "We have discussed it, but it hasn't been my top priority. It looked like Jesse Poon stepped up with confidence and that's why he took it."
In the second half, the Buccaneers spent much of their time bottled up in their own end. A few minutes past the interval, the Jumbos sent a corner into the box. The ball made it through the center of the area untouched before falling to Coleman on the far side. He sent the ball back across goal with serious pace, but Young, again, was up to the task, tipping it over the crossbar.
"I just tried to play my best on every ball," Young said. "If I was able to get in their heads, that's even better."
Tufts continued to hold possession, relentlessly testing Mass. Maritime's back line with crosses. Yet much like in the first half, the Buccaneers saw a fleeting opportunity and capitalized in the 76th minute. Junior midfielder Mike McCarthy found himself on the left edge of the box covered by a pair of Jumbos. McCarthy did not hesitate and linked up at the top of the box with McCord who controlled the ball before burying the shot — and the game — in the near corner.
The Jumbos found one last goal opportunity in the 84th minute as Coleman, by far the most dangerous player for Tufts throughout the night, sent a searching ball toward Silva. But Young beat Silva to the ball, diving on top of it to once again halt the Jumbos' attack, completing a well-earned shutout — the first of his collegiate career.
"It feels good to get back on the winning track," Young said. "The defense played great for me so it made it a lot easier to get the shutout."
The Jumbos had 12 corners to the Buccaneers' two and outshot them 18-11. But it was Mass. Maritime that was far more efficient on the day.
Tufts will not have much time to dwell on the loss with Wesleyan coming to Kraft Field on Saturday for a NESCAC battle. The Cardinals sit two points above the Jumbos in the league standings, so any points gained would do wonders for the team's confidence.
"We reacted well to having a bad start tonight," Shapiro said. "We took the impetus to get the game going and we were aggressive in getting forward. We had a ton of good deliveries in the areas. We did everything but finish, and that's the final piece."
