Box Score
WALTHAM – A penalty kick by Vassar College senior back Zander Mrlik in the 102nd minute tonight lifted the Brewers to a 1-0 victory over Tufts in the first round of the NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Championship at Brandeis University's Gordon Field.
Vassar advances into the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. With the win, the Brewers improve to 13-4-3 on the season and will face host Brandeis in the second round tomorrow at 5 pm. Tufts ends their campaign at 9-4-4.
Tufts controlled play in regulation, outshooting Vassar, 16-6, and earning 13 corner kicks to just two for the Brewers. The shots on goal were even, however, with Tufts getting four attempts on Ryan Grimme and Vassar forcing Wyatt Zeller (Sea Ranch Lakes, FL) to make three stops for the Jumbos.
Grimme's best effort came 5:01 into the game when he made a diving attempt to deflect Tufts sophomore Maxime Hoppenot's (Princeton, NJ) ball just past the post. Zeller's toughest chance was late in the contest, when he punched out a corner in the 83rd minute.
Tufts also had strong bids by sophomore Kento Nakamura (Tokyo, Japan) and freshman Jason Kayne (Deerfield, IL), whose shots sailed just high.
In the overtime session, it was a different story, as Vassar was able to penetrate the Jumbo midfield. Though there were not shots taken in the first overtime session, the Brewers seemed finally to find seams into the attack. They got the first shot of the extra session 46 seconds in on an attempt by Justin Mitchell, but it was with 8:19 on the clock that the key whistle was blown. After Vassar forward Dante Varotsis beat a Tufts defender to a ball near the goal line to the left of the net. Varotsis was hauled down in the box to earn the PK, and Mrlik calmly potted it as Zeller dived to his left. It was Mrlik's fifth goal of the season and second game-winner.
The win sets up the first-ever meeting between Vassar and Brandeis. The Judges defeated Baruch, 2-0, in today's first match.
Despite the disappointing loss, Tufts had its finest season in several years. Head coach Josh Shapiro's team was the first at Tufts to qualify for the NCAA's since 1996. To begin the post-season, they had become the first Jumbo side to host and win a NESCAC quarterfinal since 2001.
Match statistics
Match recap courtesy of Brandeis University
Game Photos by Alonso Nichols/Tufts:
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