A year ago, it seemed that late deficits always spelled doom for the men's soccer team, which created plenty of opportunities — only for them to watch them slip away. The Jumbos came into Saturday's season opener looking to shed that label, and they did.
Trailing No. 12 Middlebury 1-0 in the 79th minute, Tufts finally broke through the Panthers' defense and salvaged a 1-1 tie against the defending conference champs at Kraft Field.
The goal came following a blocked shot from freshman midfielder Gus Santos, who received plenty of attention from the defense in his first collegiate action. After bouncing through heavy traffic in front of the goal, the ball ended up at the feet of sophomore forward JonoEdelman, who snuck it past Middlebury senior goalkeeper Tim Cahill for the lone Tufts tally of the game.
"Gus drew two or three defenders, so when the ball got to me, I was all alone," Edelman said. "I took a touch to myself and was able to finish it."
Edelman's goal was the first of his collegiate career and marked the first time the Jumbos have scored against Middlebury since 2006. The 1-1 tie also broke Tufts' streak of 12 consecutive losses to the Panthers, dating back to 2002.
"We know we were playing a top team in the league," second-year coach Josh Shapiro said. "They do everything the right way, and they're a program that you want to measure yourself by."
Although neither team looked particularly strong offensively in the first half, Middlebury created more chances early on, testing senior goalkeeper Alan Bernstein from the beginning of the match.
Bernstein, however, was up to the challenge, stopping a hard shot in the sixth minute with a diving save to his right and cleaning up a botched clearance by the Jumbos defense eight minutes later. A tri-captain, Bernstein led a Tufts back line that Shapiro praised for its consistency throughout the match.
"We didn't concede many goals last season, and I don't think we will this year either," Shapiro said. "The back four communicated well and looked sharp all game."
The Jumbos' best chance in the first half came in the 41st minute, when freshman forward Maxime Hoppenot couldn't get control of the ball on a breakaway that would've left him one-on-one with Cahill. In the 35th minute, junior midfielder John Lewis had a shooting opportunity in front of the goal but missed high.
Both teams were able to create chances at the beginning of the second half, but neither could score until Middlebury sophomore forward Sam Peisch put one into an empty net after collecting a rebound off of Bernstein in the 72nd minute. The assist was credited to Peisch's high-school teammate and fellow sophomore forward Josh Lyvers.
Down 1-0 to one of the nation's top teams, Tufts responded with the equalizer just five minutes later. The team's increased depth and talent, especially at attacking positions, added to the Jumbos' belief that they could come back against the Panthers.
"Last year we would give up a goal and weren't able to get one back, so I feel like we're going to have a better year now that we know we have a more established attack," junior tri-captain defender Pat Bauer said.
The Jumbos' offensive play only intensified after Edelman's goal. In the 85th minute, Cahill made an impressive diving save to deny Tufts junior defender Michael Walker, who fired a shot from inside the box. The rebound fell to Hoppenot, but Cahill recovered to make a second save and help send the game into overtime.
Just like they had for most of the second half, Tufts looked like the better team in the extra session. The Jumbos' most promising opportunities came from the left wing, where Bauer and Santos routinely connected to put pressure on the Panthers' defenders. After a slow start, Santos's play improved dramatically as the game wore on.
"Gus adjusted really well and was playing much more efficiently in the second half," Edelman said. "He started going at people and making plays."
While it took each freshman some time to adjust to the pace and physicality of NESCAC soccer, Bauer commended the entire group's effort and continued improvement.
"I thought they were a little nervous at the beginning, but they got so much better as the game went on," he said.
Shapiro echoed Bauer's praise for the first-years, two of whom were in the starting lineup. Defender Sam Williams and Santos started at center back and left wing, respectively. Shapiro also brought on five other freshmen as substitutes.
The Jumbos will play their first non-conference match on Wednesday at Plymouth State, and will return home on Saturday for NESCAC action against Wesleyan. While Tufts is happy to get a good result against Middlebury, the squad is far from complacent.
"It needs to be a weekly progression to get where we want to be," Shapiro said. "And we know we have plenty of work to do."
