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Junior goalie Alan
Bernstein made seven saves in the team's first
shutout
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SOMERVILLE -- Senior Ron Coleman's
(North Haven, CT) goal in the 20th minute of the first half was all
Tufts University needed, as the Jumbos used a defensive effort to
inch by the Wesleyan University Cardinals, 1-0, on Saturday
afternoon at Kraft Field.
A foul in the box in the 20th minute led to an indirect
opportunity for Tufts. Junior Matt
Blumenthal (Simsbury, CT) fed the ball to Coleman and he
blasted it by the Wesleyan keeper for his first tally of the
year.
Just a few minutes earlier, Wesleyan had a chance for the lead,
but the shot from senior Geoff Zartarian (Falmouth, MA) glanced off
the hands of Tufts junior keeper Alan
Bernstein (Wayne, NJ), and by the net. Bernstein made three
saves in the first half for the Jumbos as Tufts was out-shot
5-3.
Playing against a heavy wind in the second half, Tufts went into
a defensive mode. The Cardinals launched 12 more shots in the half
and Bernstein recorded four more saves. Wesleyan was throwing
sustained pressure at Bernstein throughout the half, including a
sequence with about 19 minutes left that saw the ball chipped at
the goal line over the cross bar by just a few inches.
Bernstein made seven total saves in the shutout and has now been
credited for 20 saves on the season with just two goals against.
Tufts did force Wesleyan sophomore keeper Adam Purdy (Montclair,
NJ), to make a pair of stops in the final 45 minutes. The Cardinals
finished with a plus-11 shot margin at 17-6.
The win against the Cardinals, who were the #1 seed in the
NESCAC Championship last fall, is the first in NESCAC play for the
Jumbos and ranks as one of their best in recent seasons. They
improve to 1-1-1 in the league and 2-2-1 overall. Wesleyan is now
1-2-0 in conference play and 2-3-0 overall.
Tufts will play at Suffolk University in a non-league affair on
Wednesday night at 7 pm, while Wesleyan will travel to Norton to
take on Wheaton College Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm.
Match Statistics
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