Men's Soccer | Tufts captures season opener

    For the first time in three years, the men's soccer team is undefeated.
    The Jumbos got things started on a high note Saturday afternoon, opening their season with a 2-0 victory over the Gordon College Fighting Scots and erasing disappointing memories from the last two seasons.
    The contest marked Tufts' first victory in a season opener since 2005 and gives the team the early-season momentum it sorely lacked last fall.
    "It was clearly awesome to get a win," junior tri-captain Bear Duker said. "We're a young team, so it was huge to win our first game, which we haven't done the past two years. It sets a good tone."
    The Jumbos came out strong from the start, pressuring Gordon early and gaining the lead on a goal from junior forward Dan Schoening in the 25th minute. The first of Schoening's career, the goal came courtesy of sophomore forward Naji Muakkassa, who fed Schoening with a pass through the Fighting Scot defense.
    "It was a perfect ball from Naji into tons of space," Schoening said.
    Gordon pressured the Tufts defense, but the Jumbos were up to the challenge. Senior tri-captain Dave McKeon made four saves in goal to earn the fifth shutout of his career.
    "The defense really won the game for us," Schoening said. "Dave had a huge game. He made a big save at the end, which was probably the defining moment of the game."
    With Tufts clinging to a 1-0 lead, Gordon junior forward Joel Spruance had a clear shot on goal but was thwarted by a diving save from McKeon in the 87th minute.
    "[Spruance] was about 10 or 12 yards out," McKeon said. "He turned around and shot at the near post, and I dove to my right. It was my only real test of the day because the defense did a good job."
    "It was a great save," Duker said. "We might have lost without it; Dave and the defense deserve a lot of credit."
    The game remained 1-0 until the final minute, when sophomore forward Mike Fitzgerald found the back of the net with a game-clinching goal, also the first of his career.
    The match had been rescheduled from the evening to the afternoon in order to elude the worst of the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna; still there was no avoiding Saturday's torrential downpours.
    "The weather was ridiculous," Schoening said. "It was almost surreal playing in rain that heavy — kind of like playing in a shower. I think it pumped us all up. When the conditions are wet, you have to be smarter with how you move the ball because it's moving quicker."
    "Soccer players love playing in crappy weather," Duker said. "Sometimes the rain brings out the second sense, and we played with a lot of heart and passion [Saturday]. Everybody really stepped up."
    The team has benefited from opening the season with a non-conference game rather than delving right into its conference schedule, McKeon said.
    "This is my fourth year, and in the three previous years we've started by playing Colby and jumped right into NESCAC play," he said. "Having some time to get ready for Colby is a huge plus."
    Next on the horizon for Tufts is another road contest tomorrow against non-conference foe Southern Maine. With a win under its belt, the team appears to have established itself as a confident and cohesive unit.
    "I think this game demonstrated how much heart this team has," Schoening said. "We're a close team and we enjoy being together, which is hopefully something that can carry us through the season."