Sometimes the ball just doesn't go in the net.
Although it outshot Lasell 25-5 on Tuesday in Newton, the men's soccer team fell to the Lasers 2-1. It was the first time the Jumbos have ever lost to a Lasell squad and the first time since 1996 the team has come out on the losing end of its season opener.
"We just couldn't convert," junior quad-captain Scott Conroy said. "Their goalie made some good saves, but we really didn't test him too much. We were composed all over the field but weren't able to finish the ball."
All of the scoring took place in the first 39 minutes of play. The Lasers struck first when freshman Mike Dewire netted an unassisted shot just four minutes and 20 seconds into the match.
"The first goal Lasell scored was a perfectly struck ball from about 30 yards out, nothing you can do about that one," Conroy said.
Senior quad-captain Mike Blea locked the game at one 30 minutes later with a penalty shot. However, the score would remain tied for just four minutes as Lasell counterattacked.
"We deserved that penalty shot," associate head coach Andy Nelson said. "We took the game to them pretty much for the remainder of the first half."
Fellow Lasell freshman Matt Walsh capitalized on a momentarily disorganized Jumbo defense to knock in the game winner.
"A little defensive letdown led to a second Lasell goal," Conroy said. "It was a tough loss especially considering how well we played. We just had a few bad breaks."
For the remaining six minutes of the first half, as well as the entire second half, the Jumbos dominated, but were unable to score.
"[Lasell] just sat in and got nine field players behind the ball," Nelson said. "They just defended and defended. We had a few chances, but we just didn't put them away."
Though the final score was not in the Jumbos' favor, the squad was proud of its poise.
"Even though we were behind, the team didn't panic," Nelson said. "[We] tried to create things instead of just sending in long balls."
At least one of the team members felt the same way.
"The game yesterday showed a lot of promise for the team," Conroy said. "We played together very well and gave ourselves an excellent opportunity to win. In the end, it just didn't quite work out for us."
The Jumbos will open their home season on Kraft Field against NESCAC rival Amherst (1-0) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Lord Jeffs are coming off a 4-0 win over Salve Regina last Saturday.
"[Amherst] is big, strong and aggressive," Nelson said. "They are a talented team. It will be a great test; whether they are behind or in front, they will be coming at [us]. It will be a more open game than [against Lasell]."
The Amherst match will be the first of eight NESCAC league games played this season. Amherst eliminated Tufts from the NESCAC Championship Tournament last November with a 2-1 victory. Earlier in the 2002 season, Tufts came out on top with a 3-1 victory on Sept. 14.
Over the last four years, Tufts is 2-4 against the Lord Jeffs, but has won two of the last three.
After defeating Tufts in the 2002 playoffs, Amherst went on to lose the NESCAC crown to Williams. However, the Jeffs continued on in the postseason and secured a spot in the NCAA Div III Tournament for the first time since 1997. They finished with a 13-5-1 record and won the Little Three Championship.
With history in its favor, and momentum from last week's win, Amherst will be a formidable opponent for the Jumbos.
"[Amherst] will be more of a test than Lasell," Conroy said. "But we will be up for it."
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