It was an up and down season for the Tufts men's soccer team. The Jumbos narrowly missed upsetting the number one team in the country (Williams), but also blew a two-goal lead to tie the last place team in the NESCAC (Colby) on their way to an 11-5-2 overall record. Tufts was knocked out of the NESCAC tournament by a lower seed, and then turned around and won the ECAC tournament with the seventh seed.
"We were a very young team," sophomore forward Matt MacGregor said. "At first due to the fact that we were so young, we were a little anxious, but we came together and won the ECAC's. This is a great stepping stone for next year."
The inexperience of this team (the roster consisted of two seniors, six juniors, four sophomores, and nine freshmen) spelled trouble in some of the early games, most notably against Colby and Amherst, but Coach Ralph Ferrigno and his team cannot be upset with the idea of nineteen returning players.
One of those returning players will be MacGregor, the team's leader in goals (tied with sophomore Garrett Dale), assists, and total points. He also finished sixth in the NESCAC in points.
"MacGregor is always into the game," sophomore defender Rupak Datta said. "I think he's 200% into soccer all the time. He's got a really good future as a goal scorer in this league. He's a good kid and a good leader, one of the people we will look to for leadership next season."
The team hopes that these returning players will capture the NESCAC title that slipped away from it this year. This past season, for the first time ever, the NESCAC became more like a true conference with each team playing all of the others and the top seven finishers qualifying for a postseason tournament. NESCAC games were suddenly more important than ever since they determined each team's seed in the postseason tournament.
"We knew that this would be the first time we would play a full NESCAC schedule," MacGregor said. "So our goal was making the NESCAC tournament, winning it and making the NCAA's. Obviously we fell short of that goal, but we came together and did well in the ECAC tournament."
The Jumbos' NCAA dreams were crushed with two and a half minutes left in a cold, wet first round NESCAC playoff game against Amherst when the Lord Jeffs converted a corner kick to steal a 1-0 game and advance in the tournament.
"It was depressing to lose that game," Datta said of the loss. "We should have gone further in the NESCAC tournament." Amherst was seeded one spot lower (#5) than the Jumbos (#4) despite a 2-0 victory at Tufts earlier in the season. The fact that Tufts had home field advantage made the loss particularly hard to swallow.
"We should have beaten them," MacGregor said.
The team got its revenge, in a sense, by winning the ECAC tournament while Amherst fell in the first round to sixth-seeded Keene State, making a rematch impossible. Tufts advanced by defeating second seed Babson, Keene State, and finally by defeating Bowdoin, 3-1 in Brunswick, Me.
The ECAC championship was one of many successes this season. The Jumbos also narrowly lost to the Williams Ephmen, the number one team in the country, 2-1. Tufts took the lead on a Brian Mikel goal in the first half, but Williams, which had not trailed all season up to that point, scored the equalizer and the go-ahead goal in the second half to beat Tufts on homecoming.
While most of the Jumbos will get another shot at the NESCAC title, seniors Dave Drucker and Steve McDermid will have to settle for the ECAC victory.
Drucker, second on the squad in points this season, started in each of his four years at Tufts. His six goals and eight assists on the year give him career totals of 19 and 21 in those respective categories. He was also named to the All-NESCAC first team. This is the third season in a row that Drucker has made the All-NESCAC team, although this is his first time on the first team.
"He's a strong kid, does a good job holding his position," assistant coach Pat Marino said. "He has a knack for putting the ball in the right place, and making that final pass, in addition to scoring himself."
Perhaps more importantly, Drucker is a four-year veteran with the experience and leadership skills to set an example for this young team.
"I have so much respect for [Drucker] and [McDermid]," Datta said. "Even from last year when I was a freshman. They did a great job taking charge. They lead by example."
The ECAC win was an appropriate sendoff for McDermid. He was named tournament MVP, and his 21 saves were instrumental in the tournament win. "He really saved the first game for us," MacGregor said. "He couldn't of played any better. It's been amazing to watch."
McDermid graduates with a career goals-against average of 1.14, and a save percentage of .813. McDermid had six shutouts this season to bring his career total to 19.
Defense, since it is difficult to quantify, does not always receive the same amount of attention that the offense does. But McDermid is quick to give credit to the defense for their play in the ECAC tournament.
"Most of the credit really goes to the defense," McDermid said. "Mike Prindiville especially. He won a lot of headers for us. Andrew Wood, a freshman, came in and played well for us as well."
Prindiville is another player who doesn't always get the credit he deserves. Prindiville had four assists this season, but it is his defensive play that makes him particularly valuable to this team.
"Mike was tremendous in back," Datta said. "He made a big difference and improved a lot this season."
Marino agreed. "Mike's been a steady center back," Marino said. "He's been instrumental in organizing that group all season. We've all been impressed by his work ethic and attitude."
Freshman Michael Blea also started in all 18 of the Jumbos games this season. "Mike Blea did an amazing job this season," Datta said. "He doesn't get enough credit for what he does. He plays every minute and is very strong in the back."
Junior Pat Brophy joined the varsity team around mid-season, and was a valuable contributor from the moment he stepped on the field. "Brophy had a huge impact on our team," Datta said. "He scored a lot of goals for us. He gave us a lot of energy on offense."
With 19 returning players, the Jumbos chances at a successful season next year look healthy indeed.
