Men’s Soccer Tusked by Jumbos, in Shutout Loss

The Panthers lost by a single goal for the third time this season on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Tufts. The Jumbos scored just before halftime and recorded a shutout for the seventh time this season and the 1-0 victory.

Both coaches and players felt that the team played exceptionally well, especially in the back, and were disappointed with the result. The stats support the Panthers’ sentiment.

“This was our best performance of the year, with the one exception of finding a way to score,” head coach Dave Saward said.

Middlebury (3-3-1, 2-3-1) outshot the Jumbos (6-2-1, 4-2) by a wide margin of 19-6, putting six on net compared to just two for Tufts. Additionally, the Panthers had more corners (five) than Tufts (two).

Tufts’ Rul Pinheiro netted the game’s only goal in the 40th minute.

“We turned the ball over on the halfway line and Tufts effectively counter-attacked and scored a good goal with a strike from the top of the box,” Saward said.

Aside from this mishap, the defense kept the Panthers in the game, as they have done for the majority of the season.

“The back four were excellent, particularly [Graham] Knisley ’14 and Deklan Robinson ’16,” Saward said. “If we are going to put a run together the back four have to provide us with stable and consistent performances. They have become better and better.”

Adam Glaser ’17 put two shots on goal, and felt optimistic that the ball will start finding the back of the net soon.

“[W]e were just unlucky not to put one in,” Glaser said. “To their credit, the goalie played very well. The fact that we’re creating good opportunities is most important and eventually the ball will roll our way.”

Saward echoed the sentiment of his forward.

“[W]e had our fair share of opportunities,” Saward said. “We need a little bit more luck in front of goal.”

Now halfway through their season, the Panthers are at a critical juncture, currently sitting sixth in the league table. The top eight teams will make the NESCAC playoffs. Despite some tough losses, there is optimism that the team can hold onto its playoff spot.

“Our level of play in our last three games has been superb,” Glaser said. “If we can keep that level up, the results will come. All we need is to peak at the right time and everything will fall into place.”

The Panthers will know a lot about their postseason prospects after this weekend’s doubleheader, the team’s only two-game weekend of the year. Middlebury will play Trinity, who currently sits fourth in the NESCAC, on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Hamilton, who rests in seventh, on Sunday, Oct. 13.