It was d?©j? vu all over again for the men's soccer team at non-league MIT on Wednesday. For the second time in as many seasons, the Jumbos played the Engineers to a 1-1 stalemate in double overtime. Junior center midfielder Mike Guigli tied the game for Tufts in the final minutes of regulation.
"We played a good game," senior captain Scott Conroy said. "But we weren't happy with a tie. We got a little unlucky not coming away with a win."
Both teams entered the match coming off victories in their season openers. The Engineers, however, were ranked first in New England and seventh nationally in Div. III. By comparison, the highest ranked NESCAC team is defending league champion Williams College at No. 12.
"It was a huge game," Conroy said. "We're just going to deal with the tie and use the momentum of coming back late in the game to our advantage."
As would be expected with such a powerful team, MIT controlled most of the first half on both ends of the pitch. The Engineers finally capitalized at 30:21 with a goal off the head of senior Robert Pilawa. Tufts sophomore defender Jon Glass leveled an MIT player to garner a yellow card and award the Engineers a free kick. In a play reminiscent of Tufts junior Todd Gilbert's goal last Saturday against Colby, MIT senior Dan Griffith arched a 40 yard ball over the Tufts defense that Pilawa redirected with his head in the box.
MIT maintained its 1-0 lead through the rest of the first half and for the majority of the second 45 minutes. The Engineers continued their offensive dominance - out-shooting the Jumbos 15 to six overall, and eight to two in the second half - but never managed to find the back of the goal again.
It was not until the 88th minute that Tufts finally got on the board with an unassisted goal by junior center midfielder Mike Guigli. With the game down to the wire and the Jumbos facing their first loss of the year, Guigli came through, beating three players coming across the right side of the goal and launching the ball toward the far post.
"Guigli's goal was just good individual skill," Conroy said. "He almost had an identical chance right after that [as well]."
With momentum on their side entering the first overtime period, the Jumbos locked down on defense. Coach Ralph Ferrigno opted to sub in freshman defender Matt Maloney to change the momentum a bit in the back. In addition, Ferrigno put fellow first-year Dan Jozwiak in on the offensive side. Jozwiak responded to the pressure situation with a breakaway that many believed would put the game away for the Jumbos in the first overtime period; however, he failed to convert.
"Even I thought it was over," Conroy said. "Jozwiak went through three players, but the keeper saved it. Both [Jozwiak and Maloney] played so well."
The Jumbos also had a missed chance early in the first overtime when sophomore forward Ben Castellot hit a ball across an open net that failed to find its way in.
Strong goaltending by senior keepers Matt Sullivan and Conroy allowed the Jumbos to remain within striking distance throughout the game. Sullivan made three saves in the first half, while Conroy saved nine shots during the second half and overtime periods.
The match brought both teams' records to 1-0-1 on the year.
Tufts will face its second NESCAC opponent tomorrow at Middlebury. Last Oct. 25, the Panthers defeated the Jumbos 2-1 on Kraft Field. That game was a hard-fought physical match in which 26 penalties were issued between the two squads.
This season, Middlebury started out with a 1-0 win over league foe Connecticut College last Saturday. The Panthers played at non-league Castleton on Wednesday and blanked the opposition, 4-0.
"We're not thinking about Middlebury right now," Conroy said. "We're just thinking about our game and trying to tie up the loose ends."
Though they won't admit it, the Jumbos could hold their heads high after tying nationally-ranked MIT. They will, however, look to avoid d?©j? vu against Middlebury to secure their second NESCAC victory of 2004.
