The men's soccer team rallied from two goals down to defeat the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs, 3−2, in non−league action on Tuesday at Kraft Field. Freshman midfielder Gus Santos scored his second golden goal of the season in the 102nd minute, as the Jumbos improved to 5−2−2 on the year while the Corsairs fell to 7−4−1.
Tufts came out of the gate sloppy, surrendering two goals in the first 13 minutes of play. Corsairs freshman goalkeeper Tim Walsh kept the Jumbos off the scoreboard for a while with four first−half saves, but Tufts finally broke through in the final seconds of the period on a goal by freshman defenseman Sam Williams.
"That play was huge for us," junior midfielder Rafael Ramos−Meyer said. "We were really frustrated up to that point, and to be able to go into halftime only down 2−1 really calmed us down. It let us come out confident and with all the momentum to start the second half."
The Jumbos let a golden opportunity slip away in the 58th minute when senior tri−captain Matt Blumenthal missed a penalty kick that would have knotted the score. Tufts continued to apply the pressure before finally converting in the 77th minute. The equalizer came off a free kick from just outside the box. Ramos−Meyer delivered a pass into the penalty area, where freshman defenseman Peter Lee−Kramer was able to get a head on the ball and deposit it into the back of the net for his firts collegiate goal.
Freshman midfielder Kyle Volpe nearly delivered the knockout blow in the final seconds of regulation. After receiving a well−placed through−ball from sophomore forward Jono Edelman, Volpe drilled a shot to the upper left corner of the goal. Walsh saved the day once again for the Corsairs with a huge punch−out save to force overtime.
Following a relatively uneventful first overtime period, the Jumbos capitalized on their very first opportunity of the second frame. Less than two minutes into the second overtime, Santos delivered the decisive blow. He took a pass from Volpe, spun past a defender and, from just outside the 18−yard box, launched a shot past Walsh's outstretched arms and into the far−left corner of the goal. The tally was Santos' second game−winner of the year — his first came against Trinity on Oct. 2 — and it put the finishing touches on a thrilling comeback victory. Despite the one−goal margin, the Jumbos had 22 shots in the game, while the Corsairs managed only six.
Tufts will return to NESCAC play on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., hosting Williams in a Homecoming showdown.
--
