The men's soccer team saw its three game winning streak come to a conclusion on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Bates Bobcats. The defeat came after the Jumbos held their opponents scoreless for more than 270 minutes over the course of three games.
With the loss, Tufts drops to 4-2 on the season including 2-2 in the NESCAC, good for a share of fifth place in the conference alongside Trinity.
The Jumbos' shutout streak came to an end nine minutes into the game on Saturday when Bates' senior forward Drew Weymouth crossed a pass in front of the Tufts' goal that junior forward Brian Luoma headed into the net. The goal marked the first score that freshman goalie Scott Conroy had allowed since his second collegiate game, a 3-2 loss to Middlebury.
"[The goal] was kind of a shock," sophomore midfielder Brian Mikel said. "The ball was bouncing around and they got a head on to it and it went in. It took a few minutes for us to regain our composure and start playing again."
Following the goal, the Jumbos were eventually able to regroup and battled the Bobcats to a draw for the remainder of the half.
Junior forward Garrett Dale put Tufts on the scoreboard in the 12th minute of the second half when he drilled a penalty kick past Bates' goalie, Dan Spector. While a goal often changes the momentum of a match, Dale's shot, like Luoma's in the first half, did not signal the beginning of a big run.
"I played a ball through to Pat Brophy and the goalie bobbled it and then the goalie fouled Pat," Mikel said.
After the foul, Dale took the penalty shot that equalized the score.
"I thought that was definitely going to be a turning point," Mikel said about Dale's goal. "From then on we were really the better team."
Although it seemingly gained control of the game after the goal, Tufts was unable to mount a substantial run. Instead the game proceeded much like it had in the first half, with both teams having scoring chances yet failing to capitalize. After Dale's goal, the two well-matched squads battled for another twenty minutes without scoring.
"We had a lot of good opportunities," Mikel said. "Garret had a few good chances that he created but couldn't quite put in."
Finally, in the 77th minute of regulation Bates broke the stalemate when Weymouth booted a shot past Conroy into the lower left corner of the goal, putting the Bantums on top by a 2-1 margin. Despite nearly 15 minutes remaining, the Jumbos were unable to retaliate.
In a game where neither team was ever able to capitalize on momentum, it is not surprising that the squads fought to a near statistical draw. The Bobcats out-shot the Jumbos 11-9, but the Jumbos had a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. The outcome of the game was a variance from recent previous meetings between the two teams, as Tufts has gone 4-0 against Bates since 1998.
"Traditionally Bates isn't a very good team, and they aren't really that good this year," Mikel said. "To come off a big win against Amherst and then to lose to Bates is embarrassing. But the season is definitely not over. Hopefully we can learn from this but this was really an embarrassing loss."
The Jumbos will have little time to lament the loss, as the they jump right back into action with a road game on Tuesday afternoon against Salve Regina. Though it is a non-conference game, the matchup should give the Jumbos a chance to regain their confidence before embarking on a difficult period in which the team will play three NESCAC games over a seven-day period, beginning next Saturday at home against Bowdoin.
"It's definitely going to be a game that we are really pumped up for," Mikel said about the contest against Salve Regina. "We know we have to play well. We will come together. [The loss to Bates] is not a downturn in our season. We have played really well. Its just a little speed bump."
@s:Team looks to bounce back against Salve Regina
