Coming into Wednesday night's matchup against Bowdoin, the men's soccer team was assured of a berth in the NESCAC tournament, but with a Trinity or Williams defeat and a Tufts victory, the Jumbos would host their quarterfinal game. And even though they didn't get the help they needed, thus ensuring that they would be hitting the road throughout the playoffs, the Jumbos still came away with an impressive 2−1 overtime win.
Tufts' hero was freshman forward Maxime Hoppenot, who scored both goals for the Jumbos, including the game−winner with just 2:48 remaining in the first overtime period. His first goal was particularly impressive, as Hoppenot beat his defender one−on−one inside the box and delivered a powerful shot into the top corner of the goal.
That tally gave Tufts a strong start to the game, an area the team has been focusing on throughout the fall. However, following a recent trend, the Jumbos once again gave up an equalizer late in the game, as Polar Bears freshman forward Sam White managed to head one in with less than two minutes remaining.
"I thought we came out with pretty good intensity," senior tri−captain Matt Blumenthal said. "But we had some trouble in the second half … keeping focus, which is maybe why we conceded that late goal."
But the Jumbos — unlike in their last game against Hamilton — managed to rebound shortly thereafter, sealing the victory with Hoppenot's golden goal. The first−year's well−placed header will serve as a springboard for the Jumbos, who are looking to curb the bad habit of faltering as the clock runs down.
"I think it should help, because that late goal certainly gives us some momentum," Blumenthal said. "We talked a bit today about getting focused for 90 minutes throughout. The last few games have definitely taught us a lesson."
With the victory and the results elsewhere in the conference, Tufts finished in fifth place with a NESCAC record of 5−3−2. That means that the squad will travel to face the No. 4 Williams Ephs on Saturday in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the Oct. 15 Homecoming game from which Tufts emerged with a 2−1 victory.
"Our strengths really match up well with Williams' weaknesses," junior midfielder Rafael Ramos−Meyer said. "We are a very talented team and we play well with the ball on the ground, which is something Williams had a lot of trouble dealing with the first time we played them."
The Ephs proved their own mettle by taking the top two teams in the conference, Amherst and Wesleyan, to overtime, ultimately drawing the Lord Jeffs and losing to the Cardinals. In the game against Tufts, the Ephs dominated much of the action in the second half as they tried to rally from 2−0 down, but ultimately the comeback fell short and the Jumbos emerged with the victory.
"We beat them on Homecoming, but we know that they're a big team and compete well in the air," Blumenthal said. "We need to defend well in one on one marking, but their defenders are slow, so pace can get at them pretty well."
Even though the match will be away from home, the Jumbos will go into the game confident that they can earn their first conference tournament victory since 2001.
"I know that if we come out and play our best game, there isn't a team in the NESCAC that can compete with us," Ramos−Meyer said. "There's no reason we shouldn't be able to come away with another win against Williams."
