The men's soccer team dominated the Conn. College Camels, 4-1 on Saturday, in its final regular season game - a tune-up for the NESCAC tourney which began yesterday. With the win, the Jumbos clinched the third seed in the NESCAC Playoffs and guaranteed a match up with the sixth-seed Wesleyan Cardinals.
"We obviously didn't play the best that we could have, but we escaped without injury," junior tri-captain midfielder Matt MacGregor said. "We knew we had to go get the job done."
Senior tri-captain midfielder Brad Stitchberry said the win helped the team remained confident. "It was a good team to beat, a team we were supposed to beat," Stitchberry said. "And it keeps our confidence going into the tournament."
Tufts did not take long to get on the scoreboard as sophomore defender Jesse Dinner notched his first goal of the season at the 14-minute mark. Dinner scored after recovering a rebound off a corner kick and proceeded to knock the ball past Trinity goalie Sean LeBrie.
Less than ten minutes later, MacGregor gave the Jumbos a 2-0 advantage, scoring on a pass from junior forward Garrett Dale, which Dale threaded through the defense giving MacGregor an opportunity for a breakaway goal.
With Tufts controlling the game, the team went into halftime up 2-0. "We just played well as a team," MacGregor said. "We got some goals and put them away like we should have."
Finally, just about five minutes into the second half, Conn. College was able to generate some offense. The Camel's leading scorer, Justin Provost, collected the ball off a corner kick and put one past freshman keeper Scott Conroy.
Interestingly, Provost's goal was one of only five Conn. College shots on the day. The shot was one of only three balls that Conroy had the opportunity to save, and the rookie goalie recorded only two saves in the contest.
Tufts' offense completely controlled the flow of the game. It took nineteen shots on the afternoon and, for the most part, the shots were accurate, with Conn. College goalie Sean LeBrie recording ten saves on the afternoon. Fourteen of 19 Jumbo shots either were saved by LeBrie or went past him.
"We created a lot of chances," senior forward Pat Brophy said. "We had a little trouble finishing in the beginning."
The Jumbos regained their two-goal lead at the 61:32 mark when Brophy set up junior forward Garrett Dale with a through-ball giving him his eighth goal of the season. The scoring concluded with less than five minutes remaining when freshman Jesse Lessinger, in the first collegiate varsity game of his career, scored off a pass from sophomore Adam Lorenzetti.
The wide margin of victory allowed coach Ralph Ferrigno to rest some of his veterans while giving playing time to the less experienced players on the team. Senior tri-captain and defender Mike Prindiville, the anchor of the Jumbo defense, missed the final regular season game of his career with a pulled hamstring that he suffered last Tuesday against Gordon. The defense, however, was solid in his absence.
"The defense played a good game," MacGregor said. "The new guys did a great job so it was good."
The victory puts the Jumbos in a strong position for the NESCAC Tournament, having won seven of their past eight games, including two straight after a loss to Williams on Oct. 20.
"This is something to keep us in the rhythm [as we] move into tomorrow," MacGregor said.
While Tufts clearly has momentum, players realize there are six other teams in the tournament, all of which could end the squad's season. "No matter who we play, its gonna be tough," Brophy said. "Everyone wants to win."
