The men's soccer team improved to 3-1 (1-1 in the NESCAC) after posting its second consecutive shutout in Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Colby White Mules in Waterville, Maine. Senior tri-captain and defender Mike Prindiville scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 36th minute off an assist from junior midfielder Garrett Dale.
The score came off a routine set when Dale sent a free kick from 25 yards out directly in front of the goal, where the Prindiville was stationed. Prindiville leapt and headed the ball past Colby goalie Andy Danziger.
Remarkably, Prindiville's score was the first of his four-year career and came in his 41st collegiate contest.
"I guess I had waited a long time," Prindiville said. "It was a pretty normal set kick from from 25 or 30 yards out and Garrett just played a perfect ball that had a nice curve. I knew I shouldn't mess it up and I was able to knock it home. I was in complete and utter disbelief after it went in. I kind of stopped and doubled checked to make sure it went in."
More than filling a void in Prindiville's personal stat sheet, the goal completely changed the game's momentum. The Jumbos began the game out-of-sync and did not seem comfortable until the midpoint of the first half. After Prindiville's goal, Tufts dominated for the remainder of the contest.
"The first twenty minutes or so of the game we came out slow and kind of let them take it to us - which is never a good thing," Prindiville said. "Gradually we started to form more of an attack using the width of the field. They were overloading one side of the field and once we noticed that we changed. After we scored that goal in the first half we dominated the rest of the half and pretty much the rest of the game."
Junior tri-captain Matt MacGregor secured the game in the 82nd minute when he scored off an assist from sophomore forward Alex Berg for the cushion run.
Tufts' superiority was especially evident in shots on goal. The Jumbos took 23 shots, as compared to only ten for the White Mules. More important than the number of shots was the quality of the shots that the Jumbos took - 14 of the 23 shots were either saved by Danziger or went past him for goals.
While the offense did its part to secure victory, Tufts' defense played an integral role as well. Freshman goalie Scott Conroy anchored the defense, posting his second consecutive shutout in only his fourth career game. Conroy made good on all five save opportunities, although none were particularly complex.
"Every game Scott has gotten better," Prindiville said. "He has come out stronger and he is talking more. Little by little he is going to master the position. Yesterday there weren't any incredibly difficult saves to make - but that speaks well for him because it means he was directing well so shots couldn't occur. Scott is doing a great job."
"It was tough coming in and being one of only [a few] freshman on the team and being a starter," Conroy said. "After a rough game against Middlebury [a 3-2 Tufts loss] I felt I stepped it up against MIT and that gave me some confidence. The guys are really helping me out. They are helping build my confidence and telling me that I'm a leader and that I need act like one even though I'm much younger than most of them."
In addition to the play of Conroy, a strategic move by coach Ralph Ferrigno also paid dividends. Ferrigno decided to switch sophomore defenders Jesse Dinner and Mike Blea - Blea moved to the inside and Dinner slid over to the outside. The change allowed Dinner to get more involved in the offense while Blea and Prindiville were able to control the defense from the middle of the field.
"In general [junior] Rupak Datta and Jesse were able to carry the ball a lot more than in the past, so they were able to participate in the offense," Prindiville said. "It seems to be working well. It seems to allow us to get a little more offense."
The Jumbos continue their season on Tuesday when they travel to Amherst for the second of three consecutive away games against conference opponents. The contest will be a challenging one for Tufts; Amherst remains undefeated and currently stands in a tie atop the NESCAC with Williams.
"They are 4-0 and cruising right along," Prindiville said. "Being at Amherst especially on a Tuesday, a school day, is going to be a tough game. If we can come out with a win there, it would set us right towards the top of the NESCAC."
Echoing Prindiville's sentiments was Conroy. "This is the toughest week of the season," Conroy said. "After this [week] I think it will be pretty much smooth sailing, especially if we come out with a couple wins."
