Box Score
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Sophomore Max Hoppenot's third goal of the year was the eventual game-winner
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MIDDLETOWN, CT - After a scoreless first half, visiting Tufts got a pair of goals in a span of 8:07 during the second period and it proved to be enough to keep the Jumbos undefeated on the season with a 3-0 mark, 2-0 in NESCAC play, with a 2-1 victory. Wesleyan lost for the first time this season, dropping to 2-1, 1-1 in the league.
Senior Franco Silva (Houston, TX) spotted Tufts the lead in the 61st minute after receiving a pass in the box on the left side and beating Wesleyan senior keeper Adam Purdy with a low shot. Both senior Pat Bauer (Portland, OR) and freshman Jason Kayne (Deerfield, IL) received assists on the play as they controlled the play prior to Silva's shot.
In the 69th minute, sophomore Max Hoppenot (Princeton, NJ) streaked up the left side past two Wesleyan defenders and found the goal to Purdy's left to up the margin to 2-0 with 21:30 left.
The Cardinals narrowed the margin to 2-1 four minutes later as a serve by sophomore Matt Hertgen toward the Tufts net drew junior keeper Wyatt Zeller (Sea Ranch Lakes, FL) out of the cage enough to allow junior Henry Karmin to head the ball over Wyatt and into the goal. But the final 17:25 passed with no further scoring.
Wesleyan held a slim 13-12 edge in shots while both teams had just three corner kicks. Both Wyatt and Purdy ended the game with five saves.
Wesleyan holds a sizable margin in the longstanding series with a 43-18-7 record, but Tufts has now won three of the last five encounters, all by one goal, and six of the last 10. Of the last 13 games between the squads, nine have been one-goal margins, one was a tie and the remaining three were all 2-0 decisions in the closely-contested battles.
Match statistics
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Match recap courtesy of Wesleyan University
