Box Score
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Sophomore Jono Edelman tied the game for Tufts with his first collegiate goal
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SOMERVILLE - The Tufts University Jumbos came from behind to force a 1-1 tie with the 12th-ranked Middlebury College Panthers in NESCAC men's soccer action on Saturday afternoon at Kraft Field.
Sophomore Josh Lyvers (Harvard, MA) had a pair of chances for the Panthers in the first half. In the 22nd minute he missed wide right trying to sneak the ball into the near side, and then in the 36th minute his header from the middle of the box was corralled by Tufts senior keeper Alan Bernstein (Wayne, NJ). Bernstein made two saves in the first half.
The best first-half opportunity for the Jumbos came in the 41st minute when first year Maxime Hoppenot (Princeton, NJ) could not control the ball on a potential break-away. Middlebury senior keeper Tim Cahill (Glastonbury, CT) did have to make three saves in the first 45 minutes. The match was scoreless after 45 minutes.
Middlebury struck in the 74th minute when sophomore Sam Peisch (Still River, MA) squeezed one passed Bernstein on a feed from Lyvers. The ball had bounced around in the box before the tally as Tufts could not clear it out.
Tufts turned up the pressure down 1-0. In the 79th minute, first year Gus Santos (Framingham, MA) fired a shot that was blocked, but deflected to sophomore Jono Edelman (Memphis, TN) who then went one-on-one for the game-tying goal.
The Jumbos were robbed twice with under five minutes to play as Cahill made a spectacular diving stop on a shot from junior Michael Walker (Los Altos, CA) in the box. The ball caromed to Hoppenot, but Cahill recovered to make the second save.
In the 20 minutes of extra time, the Jumbos had the better chances to take home a victory. They had the only shot on goal and had two corner kicks, but could not convert.
Overall, Tufts out-shot Middlebury 12-7. Cahill stopped six shots for the Panthers, while Bernstein made the two both in the first half of action.
The point for Tufts is their first against Middlebury since the 2002 season, while the goal is the first the Jumbos have netted on the Panthers since 2006.
Each side begins the year at 0-0-1. Tufts will be on the road this Wednesday at Plymouth State for a 6 pm match-up, while Middlebury plays at Norwich at 4 pm on Tuesday.
Match Statistics
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