Men's soccer returned to action against the No. 19 Middlebury Panthers on Saturday after a week-long break to hand Middlebury its first loss of the season. Tufts is now 3-1-2 in NESCAC play and 5-3-2 overall, a strong recovery from its slow start to the season that saw the team record one draw and two defeats.
“Having midweek games can hurt our preparation and our recovery time," first-year midfielder/defender Zachary Trevorrow said."[Our better schedule] showed in our energy that we were able to put into each game. The long week of preparation really helped us.”
In the 2-0 victory over the Panthers, two Jumbos scored their first collegiate goals. Trevorrow and sophomore defender Jackson Najjar both scored very early in the first half to give Tufts a lead that it maintained for the rest of the game.
Less than one minute into the contest, Tufts was awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Junior midfielder Kevin Halliday, who provided both assists for the two goals against Hamilton last weekend, took the free kick. He found Najjar right in the middle of the front of the goal and Najjar put it past Middlebury senior goalkeeper Greg Sydor. Not six minutes later, Trevorrow collected a shot that had gone off the post after a corner kick and fired the ball into the net.
With 83 minutes remaining to play, both sides had chances to get back on the scoresheet. Both Tufts and Middlebury took 12 shots during the game, although Tufts had nine on target compared to Middlebury's five. Junior midfielder Tyler Kulcsar threatened to extend the lead to three midway through the first half, but Sydor got a hand on it to force it wide.
The game was a huge step for the Jumbos, who showed that after a rocky start to the season they have the ability to be consistent, especially against top teams. Not only was the game Middlebury’s first loss in the NESCAC, but it was the first time all season that it conceded more than one goal in one game.Even after the 2-0 loss, Middlebury remains the team with the fewest goals against in the conference with five, but Tufts is a close second having only conceded one more. The Jumbos have now won five of their last seven games, starting with their 3-0 victory over the Bates Bobcats on Sept. 16, and they hope to extend this run with two more wins next weekend at Connecticut College and at Trinity.
“Earlier in the season we were a little inconsistent,” Halliday said. “We showed a lot of potential but we would have a good result followed up by not as good of a result. I think that it’s the fact that it’s no longer the beginning of the season, and we’re no longer making beginning of the season mistakes. We can’t afford to lose more games or give up more points. It’s mostly the mentality, a lot of the older guys are showing the younger guys that’s its do or die, essentially.”
Tufts' defense stood out: anchored by senior goalkeeper Scott Greenwood, who made five saves, the defense protected the goal from nine Middlebury corner kicks. Again, Tufts had to defend a tall forward in senior tri-captain Greg Conrad, who took seven shots on Saturday, two of which were on target. Greenwood was able to deflect both attempts, and earned his fourth clean sheet of the season. It was his 31st clean sheet in his collegiate career, making him the program leader in shutouts.
“[Our team’s defensive strength can be attributed to] our incredible organization from the centerbacks," Trevorrow said. "[Junior defender] Conor Coleman and [senior defender Daniel Sullivan] both did an excellent job of keeping everybody on track: no matter how well Middlebury put the ball in the box, they were always there. Physically they are a big force, but also ... they organize the whole defense with their words, and [lead] by example and [are] teammates that you’d want to replicate.”
The Jumbos head into another double header weekend, their third of the season. On Saturday at 2 p.m. they face Conn. College, who are second in scoring in the NESCAC with 30 goals after Amherst's 33. The Camels are 8-3 and were on a four-game winning streak before losing to Amherst 3-1 yesterday.Conn. College also lost 1-0 to Middlebury earlier in the season.
“It’s all about six points," Trevorrow said. "We’ve shown that we can win big games, but in terms of really getting into where we want to be in the playoffs and making it as far as we can we have to be winning all the games that we can. That starts with six points on the weekend, no excuses, just getting the wins.”
Tufts plays the Trinity Bantams at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Bantams will also be in the second leg of their double-header weekend.
“We have, more than most teams in the conference, a very deep team – a lot of talented guys who can give a lot of minutes,” Halliday said.“What’s at the forefront of our minds going into next weekend is that everyone is going to be tested and we need to use our depth to outlast the other team who are most likely also going into double-header weekends.”
Tufts hands Middlebury first loss of season in shutout
