The men's soccer team collected its first victory in NESCAC conference play by posting a 2-1 win over Bates Sunday afternoon. Tufts received goals from sophomore Matt McGregor and junior tri-captain Brian Stitchberry and withstood a second-half surge from the Bobcats to secure the game.
The Jumbos upped their record on the current four-game homestand to 1-1-1 heading into the final game Wednesday against Plymouth State.
The Jumbos were coming off of two disappointing games. The team lost 2-0 to Amherst on Wednesday and blew a two-goal lead last Saturday to Colby.
"It's a great feeling," McGregor said of Sunday's win. "We were playing well as a team before today, but we just weren't getting it done."
"It was just like the Colby game," coach Ralph Ferrigno said. "We were looking nervous for awhile in the second half, but we hung on."
The Jumbos got on the scoreboard first in the 23rd minute when Stitchberry lofted a ball toward the right side of the net and McGregor headed it in. Tufts maintained the one goal lead for the rest of the first half, as Jumbo goalkeeper Steve McDermid thwarted several Bobcats scoring opportunities.
"McDermid's a great goalie, he's got great size and athletic ability," McGregor said. "He is one of the best goalies in the NESCAC and he showed it today."
In the 20th minute, McDermid robbed Bates freshman Chris Sporcic on a point-blank blast from inside the penalty area. On three separate occasions, Sporcic chased passes into the Tufts penalty area, with each pass gobbled up by a charging McDermid before the Bobcat forward could get a shot off.
The Jumbos charged out of the halftime break, immediately adding to their halftime lead. In the 46th minute, Stitchberry drilled home a shot from inside the penalty area.
After the goal, however, it was the Bobcats that controlled the play. In the 53rd minute, Bates sophomore Michael Masi sent a ball toward the right side of the net, but the header from freshman Chris Urban went right at McDermid.
"Everyone in the NESCAC really hates to lose," McGregor said. "They realized they were down a goal and came out strong. We matched their intensity though."
Bates tried to mix things up in the 63rd minute, substituting senior forward Isaac Ugbabe for freshman Anthony Silva. The attempt to spark a comeback swung the momentum to the Bobcats' advantage.
"Once number nine came into the game, they really picked it up," sophomore defender Rupak Datta said of Ugbabe.
The move paid off only one minute later, as Ugbabe cut the Jumbos' lead in half. Ugbabe dribbled in and fired a shot that was blocked by McDermid. The ball trickled slowly toward the mouth of the goal and bounced in off of the left post, cutting Tufts' lead to 2-1.
The Jumbos would not fold this time, even though Bates would have a number of excellent chances to tie up the game. Roughly five minutes after Ugbabe's goal, a shot from Bates sophomore Liam Ryan drifted just wide of the left goalpost. With 16 minutes to go in the game, Ugbabe had another chance on a cross sent into the penalty area, but his header was wide to the left.
Bates' best chance at a second goal came in the 82nd minute, when Ugbabe dribbled around McDermid and faced only two Tufts defenders standing on the goal line. His shot was knocked away by freshman Jesse Dinner, giving the momentum back to the Jumbos. Tufts just missed extending its lead when McGregor's shot from inside the penalty area sailed over the crossbar. It did not matter, however, as the Jumbos ran out the clock to secure a big conference win.
The Jumbos improved their NESCAC record to 1-1-2, leapfrogging from ninth place into a fifth-place tie with the Bobcats. The higher standing in the NESCAC is even more important this season with the advent of a NESCAC postseason tournament (with only the winner advancing to the NCAA tournament). Ranks for the tournament will depend on each team's position in the final standings.
The Jumbos' next game comes against Plymouth State on Wednesday afternoon, before the team travels to Bowdoin, Wesleyan, and Trinity for three more NESCAC games.
Though Wednesday's game should be a rest from the pressure-packed in-conference play, Plymouth State may prove a difficult opponent. The Panthers were ranked eighth in New England coming into this week, and defeated Bates 2-0 on Wednesday.
"Another ranked team, another tough opponent," Ferrigno said. "We can't relax."
