Start drawing comparisons between Matt Blumenthal and Lauren O'Connor, and you will be convinced that you have stumbled into an episode of the "Twilight Zone" (1959-1964). The two are senior captains of the men's and women's soccer teams, respectively. They are both central defensive players, and both wear the number six. They share double majors — economics and psychology — and a place of residence — neighboring houses on College Avenue. Most importantly, they have a friendship that extends beyond the soccer pitch.
But as the fall sports teams enter the final week of the season, the pair will be looking to draw one final parallel in their Tufts careers. With a win or draw for the women's team and a victory for the men's team later today, they will likely be playing back-to-back NESCAC quarterfinal matches on Kraft Field for the first time in their four years at the school. The road to get here has been a long one, but their friendship — along with the ever-supportive Tufts Athletics community — has played a role every step of the way.
When we were young
O'Connor and Blumenthal have been good friends since they first met freshman year in the confines of Lewis Hall. Because much of the men's team's freshman class lived there, Blumenthal found himself spending a lot of his time in Lewis despite living in South Hall. Meanwhile, O'Connor lived just down the hall from the guys, and often ended up in the same circles of friends.
"Men's and women's soccer in general are pretty close teams, and our freshman classes were both especially close," Blumenthal said. "We all spent a lot of time together."
And while the teams grew friendly off the field, they put up similar results on it. The men finished 8-6-1 with a conference quarterfinals loss to Trinity, while the women finished 8-5-1, before also falling in the round of eight. Both Blumenthal and O'Connor made an impact in their first year: he had a goal and an assist in 11 appearances, while she tallied a pair of assists while starting most of the year on the backline.
Sophomore year came, and the two found themselves once again in close proximity. Blumenthal was living at Zeta Psi, while O'Connor lived two doors down in Metcalf Hall.
Yet while they remained close, their soccer results that year were far from it. The women made it to the conference semifinals, falling to perennial powerhouse Williams. O'Connor played all 16 games and totaled four assists. But the men struggled, going 2-10-2 in what proved to be coach Ralph Ferrigno's final year at Tufts. Despite tying for the team leader in goals, it was a trying year for Blumenthal.
"[Matt] was definitely upset with how the season turned out," O'Connor said. "But almost immediately he switched gears and started setting goals for his junior season which he knew would be better, especially with the promise of a new coach."
When the pair headed off campus junior year, they were far apart for the first time since they had arrived on the Hill. But at that point, they no longer needed to be neighbors to remain good friends.
"We have the same group of friends outside of soccer as well," O'Connor said. "I live with a couple different athletes and my group of friends is close with his group of friends, so we ended up hanging out a lot regardless."
The women's team had its best season since O'Connor arrived, finishing the regular season 8-2-4 and earning the top seed in the NESCAC tournament. But the campaign ended in disappointment, as the Jumbos fell in penalty kicks to Bates in the quarterfinals. That left a bitter taste in their mouths.
"I remember Lauren being devastated in the following days, but she knew they would never let a season end like that again," Blumenthal said. "What stood out to me was how hard she pushed herself this entire offseason to get back on the right track for this fall."
The men were also on the rise, posting a 5-8-2 record under new coach Josh Shapiro and returning to the playoffs before suffering another quarterfinal defeat.
Yet despite positive results in 2010, expectations were not all that high for the teams as O'Connor and Blumenthal prepared to become captains in 2011. The women's team had graduated three-quarters of a defensive line that had been the key to their success the previous year. The men lost three of their top five scorers and still seemed a long way from returning to prominence.
Leading Each Other
At the end of last spring, O'Connor was named co-captain of the women's team with Olivia Rowse while Blumenthal was named a tri-captain alongside Alan Bernstein and Pat Bauer. To complicate matters even more, O'Connor was to play a more attack-minded role in the midfield for the first time in her collegiate career, while Blumenthal, who had been near the top of the roster in scoring the last two years, was asked to move into the central defensive midfield position in the team's new 4-5-1 formation.
With a bevy of new roles and responsibilities to handle, the pair turned to each other over the summer for help.
"We talked about how to handle pre-season and things like that," Blumenthal said. "We talked about how our teams are doing and frustrations we are having and what we can do about them."
"It's nice to see someone else going through the same problems you are," O'Connor added. "I definitely watched in pre-season and stole some of his ideas and some drills that I thought could help us too."
The teams also played pickup games with each other over the summer to stay fresh. Though there is no record of the games, Blumenthal insists he scored more goals. Yet he was also quick to compliment O'Connor on the strengths of her game that he tried to emulate coming into the season.
"She switches the ball very well and is very composed on the ball," he said. "She also has a really good sense of where to be."
The pair also discussed strategy as they tried to mold their young teams into contenders. Facing new teammates and new formations, there was plenty to talk about.
"We both talk tactics a lot," O'Connor said. "Although I hate to admit it, women can learn a lot from the guys' game. I'm always eager to hear what he has to say about his games."
When the season began, everything seemed to click perfectly into place. The men's team has exceeded all expectations with the help of a group of talented freshman. They sit fourth in the New England regional rankings after a blazing 8-3-2 start. The women's team has all but locked up the No. 4 seed in the NESCAC and sits eighth in the region.
Individually, both Blumenthal and O'Connor have flourished in their new roles. With Blumenthal in the defensive midfielder role the men's team is averaging just over a goal allowed per game. O'Connor has also come into her own as an attacking player, tallying three goals already this season. The pair has also impressed each other with their leadership abilities.
"I love going to Lauren's games and listening to her scream at everybody and try to motivate them," Blumenthal said. "She's definitely a good leader and I know the rest of the team definitely looks up to her."
A Friendly Rivalry
While the two have always remained good friends, a friendly rivalry has formed between them — the type that should be expected between any pair of true competitors. Yet at its core, it's all in good fun.
"We talk [penalty kick] styles a bit," O'Connor said of the shots that have consistently been a thorn in the side of her team over recent years. "It's definitely a little competition."
O'Connor seems to have the edge there, having deftly buried a key attempt into the upper 90 to earn the Jumbos a 2-2 draw against then-No. 23 Wheaton College on Sept. 21. But Blumenthal is quick to add that she got lucky on that one.
The teams also have an annual bet on who can finish the season with a better record. While O'Connor focused on the teams' identical conference marks, Blumenthal did not hesitate to remind her about the men's more impressive non-conference ledger. Playing in the same season as three highly successful women's teams — volleyball, field hockey and soccer — he seems proud to finally be putting up similar results.
"I think our three teams [field hockey and men's and women's soccer], always having the same schedules, like to compare how we are doing, and finally we are on par with everyone else," Blumenthal said.
One Big Family
There is no arguing that Blumenthal and O'Connor have been at the heart of their teams' successes this season. Nor is it debatable that their friendship has been pivotal in helping them get there. But perhaps that is too narrow of a view — perhaps it is the continued back and forth support of the athletics community as a whole that continues to breed success on the Hill. Whether it plays a role or not, it is not likely that the support will be going away anytime soon.
"It's a pretty general theme that the biggest supporters of sports here are other athletes, and especially within the same sport," O'Connor said. "We've always been each other's biggest fans — the teams in general and Matt and I."
The friendship between Blumenthal and O'Connor is ever-growing, and it may just hit its crescendo on Saturday. But one thing is for sure: they will be cheering each other on every step of the way.
