As the last seconds of a NESCAC match−up with Wesleyan ticked off the clock, senior quad−captain midfielder Ron Coleman raised his arms in victory. It was his goal in the 20th minute that proved the difference in a 1−0 victory for the men's soccer team over the Cardinals, the team's first conference victory of the season and first since Oct. 31, 2008, in a win over Bowdoin.
"It was a great feeling," Coleman said. "Anything I can do to help the team win is obviously going to feel great."
After senior forward Michael Fitzgerald was pulled down by a Wesleyan player in the box, the ref called obstruction and the Jumbos were awarded a rare indirect free kick inside the box. On the ensuing play, junior midfielder Matt Blumenthal tapped the ball back to Coleman, who blasted a waist−high shot through the wall and straight into the Wesleyan goal.
"The last games we've had some issues with finishing our chances, so it was great to have a senior captain step up and put the responsibility on his shoulders and finish the chance when he got one," senior quad−captain midfielder Chris Flaherty said.
After the goal, the Jumbos were able to hold the lead for the next 70 minutes against an increasingly aggressive Wesleyan attack. The Cardinals outshot the Jumbos 17−6, including 12−3 in the second half. Wesleyan also had seven shots on goal, but Tufts junior goalie Alan Bernstein was more than up to the task, recording saves on all seven. Some of Wesleyan's best chances weren't stopped by Bernstein, however, as a few Wesleyan attacks were saved off the line by Jumbo defenders. Twice in the second half, once off a header and once on a low shot, freshman defender Ben Ewing made clearances on the goal line to protect the lead.
"The play of the game was Ben Ewing saving the ball off the line … twice," Coleman said.
"We were getting stuck in defensively," Flaherty added. "We started playing as a team, and the whole mentality really came to fruition. That leads to good saves from the backline and good saves from your keeper."
Many of Wesleyan's best chances came off set pieces, where the Cardinals tried to profit from a sizable height advantage over the Jumbos. The Jumbos gave up seven corner kicks and a number of free kicks in their own half but were able to make up for their smaller size with aggressive marking. The heart of the Tufts defense also had to make up for the loss of sophomore center back Mike Walker, who left early in the first half with an ankle injury. Junior defender Stratos Saropoulos filled in admirably, but the loss of the 6'2" Walker did not help the effort to defend the likes of Wesleyan's 6'2" Cabell Maddux, 6'3" Rueben Johnson and 6'4" Rory O'Neill.
"We know we're going to be one of the smallest teams in the league, and probably every team we play is going to have some inches on us, but it's really about the work ethic you put into it and taking the personal responsibility of not letting your man beat you," Flaherty said.
"It's not about winning the ball in the air; it's about getting in a position to make sure he doesn't win the ball, so it's getting into his chest and not letting him jump to his full potential and blocking his path to the ball," Coleman added.
The Jumbos had a few chances to extend their lead later in the game. They nearly scored when freshman forward Jono Edelman was played a through ball from senior midfielder Antoine Gobin and faced a one−on−one with the Wesleyan keeper but pushed his shot wide of the goal.
After 90 minutes, however, Coleman's goal held up and the Jumbos won their first conference game since the final regular season game of the 2008 season against Bowdoin. The victory is even more impressive when one considers the opponent, a Wesleyan team that went undefeated in the NESCAC regular season last season and went to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. After a tough mid−week loss to Mass Maritime, the Jumbos were eager to get back on the field and fix some of Tuesday night's mistakes.
"On Tuesday, we strung together some passes and played some pretty soccer at points, but we didn't really get stuck in, play too hard, and we didn't really finish our chances, but that's what we did Saturday," Flaherty said. "We didn't string too many passes together, but we hit every chance as hard as we could, and we made hard tackles."
Tufts next takes the field in an away game against Suffolk, at the Rams' home field of Dilboy Stadium in Somerville. The Jumbos will look to avoid the same sort of letdown they suffered last week after a positive NESCAC result.
"We just have to be hungry," Coleman said. "Going into the weekend against NESCAC opponents, no matter who you're playing, you're going to be pumped up to play. We have to come out mid−week with the same sense of urgency. Last week we just didn't have that mentality that we were going to win our individual battles in the box."
