Men's Soccer Preview | Jumbos have their eyes fixed on first opening-day win since 2005

    The 2007 men's soccer team, a veteran squad loaded with eight seniors, entered last season with the expectation of earning a spot in the NESCAC playoffs and taking its rightful place among the conference elite. But after a slow start, the team was never able to fully recover, and its hope of a playoff berth was dashed on the final day of the regular season when it suffered an overtime defeat at the hands of Conn. College.
    With the new season opening against Gordon College on Saturday, the 2008 Jumbos are approaching this season with fresh optimism. Although this year's squad has less experience, its strengths have become evident during the preseason.
    "One of our main strengths is speed," senior tri-captain Peter DeGregorio said. "Speed and commitment. Last year we didn't perform as well as we can, so our goal this year is to focus game by game and play as well as we can each time."
    "I think we're going to surprise a lot of people with our speed, both individually and in terms of our ability to move the ball," sophomore forward Alex Lach added.
    While last year's roster was heavy on freshmen and seniors, this year's squad presents a more cohesive unit.
    "It's been a lot different," Lach said. "This year we have a lot of sophomores and juniors. Being closer in age, there's been less of a hierarchy and no real cliques on the team."
    Indeed, that sense of togetherness and unity off the field is already paying dividends on the field, where the defensive line, a group that recorded five shutouts in 2007, has been particularly impressive.
    "In our five scrimmages so far, the defense has been working well together," Lach said. "They've been covering for each other and communicating really well."
    The relative youth and inexperience, coupled with the departure of the graduated seniors, has also intensified early season practices as the Jumbos nail down their starting lineup.
    "We're not very, very young, but we're inexperienced playing at the college level," DeGregorio said. "So our practices have been very competitive so far because everyone is fighting for spots. That's been a positive because the practices have been very productive."
    Another change from last season can be found in the team's schedule, which opens with games against Gordon and Southern Maine. While the team has a penchant for slow starts — the Jumbos were winless in their first five games in each of the past two seasons — these non-conference contests might help ease the Jumbos into the season before they take the field against NESCAC opponents.
    "It really helps to have these two games before our first league game so we can work things out," DeGregorio said. "Our league is so competitive that every game is hard, so to have a couple wins under our belt would give us some momentum heading into our first league game."
    Despite the graduation of senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell (LA '08), who led the team last year with five goals scored and 11 points, the Jumbos have retained a solid core of firepower upfront this year. DeGregorio, sophomore Naji Muakkassa, juniors Dan Schoening and Bear Duker, and Lach — who tallied nine points in just nine games during his rookie campaign — were all standout contributors offensively last year.
    Still, Tufts will need to improve its goal-scoring output in order to make a playoff run. The team ranked eighth in assists and second-to-last in goals scored in the NESCAC last season. Coach Ralph Ferrigno is emphasizing the importance of possession.
    "We're working on a more controlled style of play [and] trying not to turn the ball over," Lach said.
    Key games awaiting the Jumbos later this season include matchups with league rivals Middlebury and Amherst. In addition, the Jumbos are looking forward to their rematch with Conn. College, who ended Tufts' playoff hopes in last year's memorable regular season finale.
    Before getting ahead of itself though, Tufts must first square off against the Fighting Scots of Gordon, a team that has not been on the schedule since 2001 when the Jumbos recorded a late-season 1-0 shutout.
    "The first game is always big," Lach said. "We're still finding our top shape."