Williams, Middlebury, Tufts, and Bowdoin were left standing to compete for the conference title this weekend after the opening round of the men's soccer NESCAC Tournament last Sunday afternoon in Middlebury, VT. Middlebury knocked off Bates, Tufts edged Wesleyan, Bowdoin took care of Amherst, and top-seeded Williams advanced via its first round bye.
The first game on the schedule turned out to be the best of the afternoon, as Tufts squeaked by the Wesleyan Cardinals in a four-overtime, two shootout round marathon. Regulation ended with the teams knotted at three, after Wesleyan's Nick Vincent sent the game into overtime with just 36 seconds left in regulation. But 60 minutes of extra play could not break the stalemate, forcing the first round of penalty kicks.
For Tufts, junior Garrett Dale, junior tri-captain Matt MacGregor, sophomore Mike Blea, and senior tri-captain Brad Stitchberry each converted their kicks. But Wesleyan's Javier Gaston-Greenberg, Tim Murphy, Matt Chiavaroli, and R.T. Treveloni converted theirs as well, resulting in another deadlock. A sudden death shootout ensued, and Jumbo senior Pat Brophy gave his team the win on the seventh shot after Scott Conroy stopped the Cardinal's Chris Feige. Tufts' Justin Schreiner and Wesleyan's Jon Hecht also scored in the sudden death round.
Bowdoin and Amherst also treated fans to a thriller, with the Polar Bears needing two overtimes to advance with a 3-2 upset. Bowdoin, the fifth seed, came back from a 2-0 second half deficit to hand the fourth-seeded Lord Jeffs their third loss of the season.
After a scoreless first half, Amherst scored two in the first 15 minutes, courtesy of Tim Canon and Roger Boulay. But just eight minutes later, the Polar Bears made it a game, on a David Bresnehan tally. Chris Fuller then forced the extra period with a little over four minutes to go.
Then, just 34 seconds into the second overtime, David Bulow's shot ricocheted off the post and then an Amherst defender before landing in the net. The goal was Bulow's 32nd of his career, and tied Bowdoin's all-time record.
Host Middlebury finally stepped on the field after the Tufts-Wesleyan epic and made things look easy against Bates in a 2-0 decision. The Panthers struck early in the first half and then added an insurance goal midway through the second stanza. Kyle Doetzel served up a corner kick to Justin Griffiths, who headed in what proved to be the game winner. Nathaniel Shoaff was credited with the final tally.
Middlebury will play Tufts in one semifinal match in Williamstown, MA on Saturday, while Bowdoin will take on Williams in the other. Game times will be announced early this week.
@s:Men's soccer to battle Middlebury this weekend
