Williams overcame a late deficit to defeat the men's soccer team 2−1 in the NESCAC Championship quarterfinals, likely bringing the Jumbos' season to a close.
Tufts entered Saturday's affair in good spirits. The Jumbos had won five of their last six games down the stretch to secure the number−five seed in the NESCAC standings and a first−round road matchup against the Ephs. It was a rematch of the Oct. 15 Homecoming game from which Tufts emerged with a 2−1 victory. If they had posted a similar result on Saturday, it would have been the team's first conference tournament victory since 2001.
"We beat Williams at our homecoming match just a few weeks ago so we knew we could play with these guys going in," senior tri−captain goalkeeper Alan Bernstein said. "With that being said, we didn't have snow blowing in our faces the first time around. That definitely made it tougher."
The game was played amidst an unexpected winter storm that brought a mixture of snow, sleet and rain. The Ephs looked poised to strike first, keeping possession on Tufts' side of the field while outshooting the Jumbos 30−10 over the course of the match. Tufts took advantage of some timely defense and a few impressive saves from Bernstein to keep the score knotted at zero in the early going.
Following a series of tense moments on the defensive side of the ball, the Jumbos finally broke through on offense after earning a corner kick in the 21st minute. Freshman Kento Nakamura delivered the set piece toward the near post. After a few friendly deflections, the ball landed on the head of freshman center back Peter Lee−Kramer, who lofted a header over the outstretched glove of Williams junior keeper Than Finan — the NESCAC's Player of the Week — and into the back of the net. The tally, the first Finan had allowed in five games, broke the deadlock and gave the Jumbos an early 1−0 lead.
The Jumbos carried the one goal advantage into halftime. It was the Ephs, however, who came out of the break on the attack, piecing together a string of opportunities early in the second frame. Their best scoring chance came off a corner kick in the 50th minute. Williams junior Patrick Ebobisse delivered the corner to the center of the six−yard box. Williams sophomore Dan Lima darted forward and powered a header toward the top−right corner of the goal. Bernstein, with virtually no time to react, made a reflex save, punching the ball over the crossbar to preserve the Jumbos' lead.
Despite countless opportunities for Williams, the Jumbos' advantage held up for the majority of the contest. But the Ephs finally managed to beat Bernstein in the 81st minute, as sophomore User Kushaina received a free kick at his feet, worked himself into space, and drilled a shot from just inside the 18−yard box that snuck under Bernstein's glove and into the net, knotting the game at one.
The Ephs knocked in the decisive goal less than two minutes later when junior Peter Christman deposited a corner kick deep into the 18−yard box. After a few deflections and failed attempts by the Jumbos to clear the ball, junior Doug Weinrib found himself in the right place at the right time. With the ball at his feet and Bernstein off his line, Weinrib knocked in the game−winning goal. The late tally delivered a shocking blow to the Jumbos, who led for the majority of the contest only to see the lead and their season slip away in the final 10 minutes of play.
"You have to give Williams a lot of credit," senior tri−captain midfielder Matt Blumenthal said. "They didn't let up and continued to apply the pressure all game long. At the end of the day, they probably deserved to win."
It looked as though the Jumbos might have been able to respond in the 84th minute when freshman Maxime Hoppenot found himself in the clear, with only the Ephs keeper to beat. Finan, however, aptly came off his line and saved Hoppenot's shot to preserve the Ephs lead and ultimately the 2−1 victory.
With the victory, Williams will now take on No. 3 Trinity in the NESCAC semifinals next Saturday. The Jumbos still have an outside shot at receiving an at−large bid to the NCAA Tournament but will have to wait until next Monday to find out their fate.
Despite the disappointing finish, Jumbos players and coaches do not want to lose sight of the positives that came out of this season.
"We took a big step forward this year," Bernstein said. "While we wish we could have gone farther, Tufts definitely made a name for itself in the NESCAC as a force to be reckoned with in the years to come."
