The men's soccer team moved into sole possession of fourth place in the NESCAC with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Trinity on Saturday afternoon in Hartford. The lone goal of the game was scored by sophomore forward Matt McGregor midway through the first half.
The win boosts the Jumbos' NESCAC record to 3-2-2 and improves their overall record to 5-3-2. Tufts has only two NESCAC games remaining before the start of the playoffs, one at home this Saturday against the first place Williams Ephmen and a second on the road against Connecticut College.
MacGregor's tally came in the 23rd minute. Senior tri-captain Dave Drucker looped a free kick over the defense and the goalie right at MacGregor, who bounced the ball into the net off of his chest. It was MacGregor's fourth goal of the season, and increased his team leading point total to 13.
"He is a leader," coach Ralph Ferrigno said of MacGregor. "But a lot of players have combined to fill that scoring void."
One of those players is Drucker, who assisted on the goal. Drucker is tied with MacGregor for the team lead with five assists, to go with three goals of his own.
Despite the offensive contribution of MacGregor and Drucker, it was the Jumbo defense that starred in this game.
"They really only had one good chance," coach Ralph Ferrigno said of Trinity. "They had a few shots, but all of them came from outside of the box."
That one good chance came early in the game, when the Bantams set up for a penalty kick. The ball was stopped by goalie Steve McDermid, but the rebound bounced right back at the same Trinity player, who was again denied by McDermid.
The win marked the third shutout of the year for McDermid - who made nine saves - and the Jumbo defense, which has combined to give up only two goals in the last three games. "The defense played well," MacGregor said. "They've played well back there all year. This game was a testament to that."
Next for the Jumbos is a non-conference game against the Lasers of Lasell College. Lasell is a second-year program that plays in the North Atlantic Soccer Conference with the Newbury College Knights, the team that the Tufts demolished 10-0 in the season opener. Lasell also defeated the winless Knights 10-0 and sports an overall record of 7-3-0 and a conference record of 4-0 heading into yesterday's game against Daniel Webster College. Yet in the team's three losses, it has been outscored 14-0. Lasell lost to MIT 1-0 in overtime in Cambridge last Tuesday, and defeated Suffolk University at home 2-1 on Saturday.
Looming just beyond the Lasers is a date with the formidable Williams Ephmen this Saturday, Homecoming day. Williams has not lost a game this season, and has won all but two games by three or more goals. In addition to having the top four scorers in the NESCAC, the Ephs have senior goalie Ryan Spicer, whose 0.77 GAA places him third among NESCAC keepers.
The game carries much importance for the Jumbos, since any chance the team has of overtaking third place from Middlebury or second place from Bowdoin almost certainly requires a win over Williams. Tufts is also in a fight for fourth place, holding a slim lead over Amherst. If the season were to end today, Tufts would face Amherst at home in the first round of the NESCAC tournament, with Bowdoin facing Wesleyan, and Middlebury playing Bates. Williams would get a bye past the first round of the playoffs and would play the lowest seed left standing after the first round.
Amherst beat the Jumbos 2-0 in Medford earlier this season in an admittedly poor performance for the home team. "We've really only played one bad game all year," Ferrigno said. "That was Amherst."
Amherst's two remaining NESCAC games come against Wesleyan and Trinity, who are a combined 3-8-1, so the Jumbos will most likely need two wins against Williams and Connecticut College to clinch fourth place and home-field advantage against the Lord Jeffs.
With the jostling for playoff positioning heating up, it will be a task to remain focused for the Lasell game.
"It will be a little hard, but we've got to get the job done," MacGregor said. "We are on a bit of a roll right now, so we need to win to keep the confidence going."
Ferrigno echoed his player's sentiments. "They can't afford to take it lightly," he said. "For a lot of them, if they take Wednesday too lightly, they won't be playing on Saturday."
