MEDFORD, Mass. – Sophomore Jake Creus (Rye, N.Y.) scored a go-ahead goal and set up three additional markers to help lift the No. 6 Connecticut College men's soccer team to a 5-4 triumph over No. 7 Tufts on Sunday afternoon at Bello Field.
 
With the victory in a rubber match between the NESCAC rivals, the Camels punched their ticket to the NCAA "Final Four" Round for the first time in program history and accomplished the feat by knocking out the two-time reigning national champions in the process.

Connecticut College (17-4-1) controlled possession at the beginning of the game to put themselves in position to score. Senior MT Tshuma (Magwegwe, Zimbabwe) had the first chance, but his initial shot from just outside the top of the 18-yard box sailed high and wide. Tufts had its first excellent chance when Liam Gerken sent the ball in which the tall Calvin Aroh attempted to finish with his head, but junior goalie Sam Maidenberg (South Orange, N.J.) broke it up while also drawing a foul on the play.
 
After both teams continued to miss out on early opportunities, they ended up trading goals in a span of 1:07. Beginning with a throw in from the right side, Tufts got on the board first when Ian Daly one-touched a pass which was finished by Mati Cano directly over the outstretched hands of Maidenberg in the 19th minute.
 
The Camels, however, immediately responded in similar fashion to the way their scoring began against NYU. Junior Bruce Doyle (Hoboken, N.J.) was fouled from about 30 yards out, and on a set piece, classmate Rye Jaran (Downingtown, Pa.) played in a dangerous ball from right to left that Tshuma headed home to knot the score.
 
Despite quickly giving up the equalizer, Tufts (15-2-4) recovered and wasted no time regaining the lead. Maidenberg prevented a potential own goal by batting a ball away to force a corner kick, but the Jumbos were able to capitalize the next time around. After bouncing around loose in the box, Max Clivio buried the ball into the net with his left foot in the 28th minute of action.
 
But before halftime, the Camels were able to net the equalizer to shift the momentum back their heading into the break. From midfield, sophomore Jack Marvel (Marion, Mass.) sent a ball down the right side to classmate Jake Creus (Rye, N.Y.), who sent in a dangerous cross inside the box. Junior Augie Djerdjaj (Mahopac, N.Y.) trapped it first, and sophomore Matt Scoffone (Thornton, Pa.) volleyed a shot that hit off the crossbar and was ruled in with just 19 seconds left. After the teams scored a combined four goals in their first two meetings, they went into halftime having collectively netted as many markers in just 45 minutes of action.
 
Connecticut College came out firing in the second half and took its first lead in just a matter of minutes. Beginning with a corner kick taken from sophomore Alessandro Horvath Diano (New Haven, Conn.) on the right side, Creus took a loose ball off a blocked shot taken by freshman Marco Cerezo (Malaga, Spain) and banged it off the crossbar and into the back of the net. It was the Camels' second goal in a span of 2:25 and allowed them to completely seize control.
 
The Camels continued to possess and pressure the Jumbos offensively and were rewarded once again for their efforts. Creus was a major factor for the third time of the match by sending a through ball and well-timed pass to Djerdjaj, who stayed onside and punched the ball past Erik Lauta and into the upper netting.
 
Ahead by two, Connecticut College was not done yet. Even though Tshuma had an apparent fifth goal called back for being offside, it didn't deter the senior at all. Less than 60 seconds afterwards, the forward scored his second goal of the match in the 67th minute by finishing another pass from Creus.
 
Winners of the last two national championships, Tufts did not go away quietly and made a huge push to get itself back in the game. But even though the Jumbos were able to score two more times in the 70th and 72nd minutes of action, the three-goal deficit in the second half was too much for them to overcome. With a season-high five goals in a game played at an exhilarating pace, the Camels had just enough offensive insurance to earn another historic victory and become the institution's second team to advance to play in a national semifinal match.
 
Maidenberg was the winning goalkeeper by making six saves for Connecticut College, which was outshot by a 19-14 margin overall, including 10-8 on target, in the high-scoring match. Lauta turned away just two shots in the losing effort for the Jumbos, who ended their season with both of their losses coming to the Camels.
 
The Connecticut College men's soccer program will now be the institution's second in any sport to make an appearance in a national semifinal match after men's basketball, which accomplished the feat as the top-ranked team in the country at the time in 1999.
 
The Camels will next travel to Greensboro, N.C. to face Washington & Lee University in the first semifinal matchup at the UNCG Soccer Stadium on Friday, Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. Amherst College and the University of Chicago will compete in the second semifinal, and the two winners will play for the national title on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.