Men's soccer drops the ball

The men's soccer team entered homecoming weekend ranked first in New England and sixth in the nation with a 4-0 record including 2-0 in the NESCAC. After two losses, (Bates 3-0 and Wesleyan 2-1), the Jumbos will most likely lose their national prestige.

"We won our first four games, but they weren't against anybody," junior tri-captain Mike Blea said. "We got a bit overzealous with the ranking. We came in here expecting our rankings to carry us. The losses might be the best thing for us."

The most recent loss for the Jumbos came yesterday at Kraft Field, where a 1-1 tie late in the first half turned for the worse in front of the Jumbos goal. Junior goalie Joe Coletti blocked a line-drive Wesleyan shot, leaving the ball free in front of Tufts' goal. A Wesleyan player followed for the game winning score.

"You can't give any NESCAC team two goals," junior tri-captain Jesse Dinner said.

The Jumbos did have one golden chance to tie with two minutes left in the game when junior forward Adam Lorenzetti sent a centering pass to freshman forward Todd Gilbert. Gilbert sent the ball over the goal to squander Tufts' last opportunity to force overtime.

"It was one of the best performances of this season, we just got unlucky," Coletti said.

A strong effort against Wesleyan was difficult to achieve after an embarrassing Homecoming defeat at the hands of last place Bates. Knowing that they would have a hard fought battle against the Cardinals, the Jumbos efforts were a testament to the team's character.

"We came back today and played better," senior tri-captain Matt McGregor said. "Yesterday we didn't even compete. We didn't play well at all."

With the top spot in New England, the Jumbos expected a cakewalk through Bobcat territory. What they got, however, was a slap in the face and a reminder that no game is played on paper. Coming into Saturday's match-up, Tufts was expected to win as they were undefeated and Bates was winless in NESCAC play.

"Unfortunately, yesterday was one of the worst performances in 12 years," coach Ralph Ferrigno said.

The Jumbos did not lack opportunities as they had 15 shots on goal (eight in first half) to Bates' eight. While Tufts could not turn chances into goals, Bates capitalized on an early opportunity, scoring just nine minutes into the first half.

Bates wrapped up the upset with two goals less than ten minutes apart in the middle of the second half. The loss continued a troubling trend for the Jumbos, which extends back to 1995, during which Tufts has been a superior team, for the most part, yet had diffculty beating Bates. Dating back to 1995, Bates leads the series 4-3-1.

"It was a rough weekend, (Saturday) was a horrible game, we didn't show any emotion," Dinner said. "At least we showed some emotion (Sunday). We still have a lot to work on and a lot of injuries. Hopefully, this week off will get us prepared for Saturday."

These two losses almost assure Tufts of being left out of this week's national soccer rankings which might reduce the pressure on the team.

"Being ranked is a nice thing," Ferrigno said. "But being ranked at the end of the season is the best thing."

"It will make us work that much harder next Saturday," Dinner added.

Ferrigno plans to move forward past these two defeats. He also feels that his team needs time to digest the losses and move on to have a clear mind for next Saturday's game at Bowdoin. The Jumbos have today off and then will work their way back into a regular practice schedule.

Although the Homecoming loss to Bates was disappointing, the weekend was not ruined for alumni who came back to cheer on their alma mater.

"It's good to come back and see the team play," Brad Stitchberry (LA '02) said. "They have had some success this season. It's disappointing they have played well and not got good results the past two games. It's tough to come back and just watch."