NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's soccer team kicked off NESCAC tournament action, playing to a 1-1 draw with visiting Tufts, before falling in the penalty shootout 5-3 on Saturday afternoon from Silfen Field.
Tufts started quickly, opening the score just 4:07 into the contest. The Jumbos earned a free kick near midfield, with the ball being played into the box, before falling to Will Nicholas who fired into the net to make it 1-0.
From that point on, Conn dominated the rest of the opening half. The Camels recorded 11 shots in the frame, putting three on target, but Max Haberman (San Diego, Calif.), Sean Fernandez-Davila (Stow, Mass.), and Marco Perugini (Medway, Mass.) were all stopped by Nikola Antic, as Tufts led 1-0 at the break.
The Jumbos had an early chance to double the lead, seven minutes in, but Casey Shea (Haworth, N.J.) denied Ellis Denby. Conn continued to press and nearly evened the score with 31 minutes left.
Haberman let a shot go from the top of the box that Antic stopped, with the rebound falling right to the foot of Fernandez-Davila but the second effort was turned aside. The Camels remained on the front foot and with just three and a half minutes remaining, earned a penalty kick.
Henry Lester (Southwest Harbor, Maine) worked his way into the box, and was taken down to give Conn the PK. Perugini stepped up and slotted the ball home to even the score at one and send it to extra time.
Across the two sessions of extra time, each team tallied one shot attempt, but both efforts missed the target, sending the game to penalty kicks.
In the shootout, both teams converted their first three attempts, as Perugini, Haberman, and Gavin Mpiana (Cape Town, South Africa) all found the net. Ben Ortman scored for Tufts, before Max Weiss (Weston, Conn.) was stopped to give the Jumbos the advantage. Ginaluca Fallone converted for Tufts, as the Jumbos advanced.
Conn outshot Tufts 25-4 overall, including 8-3 on shots on target, while holding a 10-3 edge on corner kicks.
Shea got the start in net, finishing with two saves, before being replaced by Connor Smith (Columbia, S.C.) for the shootout. Perugini tallied the lone Camels goal, with Haberman, Mpiana, and Perugini each converted in the shootout.
Antic got the start in goal, finishing with six saves, as Nicholas notched the lone Jumbo goal.
Conn (10-2-4, 5-2-3 NESCAC) will await the results of conference tournament action around the country to find out their draw for the NCAA Tournament with the selection show on Monday, November 9th at 11:30 a.m.
