For the second straight Saturday, the men's soccer team fell behind early in an important NESCAC match-up. Yet unlike in last week's resounding Homecoming victory over Bates, there was no comeback in the cards this time for Tufts, as the Jumbos fell 1-0 to the Colby Mules.
"It was pretty heart-wrenching," senior quad captain Chris Flaherty said. "This was a huge game for us to really solidify our place in the league. It's frustrating to under perform in such a big game."
"It was a frustrating loss," junior midfielder Matt Blumenthal added. "It was a weird game, and it felt like we never got it going."
The lone goal of the game came in just at the ninth minute, as Colby sophomore midfielder Andrew Meisel took a pass from a teammate, cut into the box and beat Tufts junior goalkeeper Alan Bernstein with a low shot. Including Tuesday night's match against Plymouth State, this marked the third straight occasion on which the Jumbos have allowed a goal within the first twenty minutes.
"We came out real slow and it killed us," Flaherty said. "They dominated the first couple minutes and gave them too much time and space. The goal was a result of that — too much space and bad team communication."
"I don't know if it's been a lack of focus at the beginning of the game, but we've got to be better prepared at the start and really win the first couple minutes of the first half," Blumenthal added.
The Jumbos' offense outshot the Mules 11-8 and had a four-to-one advantage in corner kicks, but it couldn't find the right combination to tie the game. Colby kept the Jumbos off the board largely in part to the play of junior goalkeeper Ben Joslin, who recorded five saves in his second shutout of the season.
"After the goal, and especially in the second half, Colby sat in and played real defensive," Flaherty said. "We needed to play with a greater sense of urgency to break down their committed defense, and we never found that sense."
The Tufts attack was hampered in the match by the absence of sophomore forward Franco Silva, who is second on the team with three goals but who missed his second straight game due to an injury suffered in the victory over Bates. The Jumbos struggled to find the offensive rhythm they displayed against Bates, Wesleyan and even Plymouth State — despite the 3-2 overtime loss — and were shut out for the third time this season.
Although the loss to Colby was disappointing, Blumenthal sees value in the number of non-starting players gaining experience in conference games. This depth will become useful as the season begins its final stretch.
"We have a lot people contributing right now," Blumenthal said. "We have 18 guys playing every game so it's good to know that we can have people step up."
Flaherty believes the sluggish performance could also be used as a means of motivation for the team.
"The only real positive is that it is a wake up call," said Flaherty. "You can't go on the road and focus for 80 minutes. We need to realize that we need to play 90 hard ... minutes or else we aren't going to win."
The loss snapped the Jumbos' two-game NESCAC winning streak and marked their second straight loss overall. The loss enabled Colby to leapfrog Tufts in the conference standings, where the Mules (6-3-1, 3-3-0 in NESCAC) now stand in fourth, while the Jumbos (4-4-1, 2-2-1 in NESCAC) dropped into sole possession of fifth place.
"We need to find that chip on our shoulder," Flaherty said. "We need to play like we have something to prove, because at the end of the day, we know we can do a lot better. Winning a couple games at the beginning of the season doesn't mean anything."
The Jumbos will attempt to bounce back from the defeat on Tuesday night, when they travel to UMass-Dartmouth for the second of four straight road games. A year ago, it was Silva's first collegiate goal, in overtime, which gave the Jumbos a 1-0 victory over the Corsairs.
"We are going to watch some film and figure out what went wrong," said Flaherty. "We all know that we can do better on the offensive and defensive ends, so we have a lot of work to do. But we will do the work, and we will be ready for Tuesday. And from here on out we are going play one game at a time with a new mentality."
