Box Score
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Junior Wyatt Zeller earned his fourth shutout in five starts this fall
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SOMERVILLE – Twenty-second ranked Tufts University and Colby College grabbed, clutched, shoved, and clawed their way through 110 minutes of scoreless men's soccer action on the way to a 0-0 double overtime tie in New England Small College Athletic Conference action on Kraft Field Saturday afternoon.
The tie is the first blemish on the Jumbos' 4-0-1 record (2-0-1 NESCAC), while the Mules are 0-2-2 (0-1-2 NESCAC) and have yet to score a goal this season.
The first half of regulation was played primarily in the middle half of the field with neither team having a good scoring opportunity until late in the stanza. Colby had the game's first legitimate chance in the 41st minute off a corner kick, but a shot went wide. Tufts' best chance came less than a minute later as sophomore Gus Santos (Framingham, MA) blasted a rocket that went just high.
Shortly before the half, senior Andrew Meisel (Newtown, CT) lobbed an intercepted Jumbo crossing pass over charging Tufts netminder Wyatt Zeller (Sea Ranch Lakes, FL). Despite the open net the ball floated over the crossbar and landed safely behind the Tufts goal.
The Mules came out blazing in the second half taking two shots in the first minute of play. Colby kept up the pressure and had the game's best scoring chance in the 51st minute, but Zeller engulfed a point blank shot from five yards out. Zeller had another big save in the 89th minute off the foot of junior Nate Tolman (Scarborough, ME) to send the game to overtime.
Colby nearly tallied the game winner in the second overtime as a shot off a corner kick went just wide left. Tufts' best opportunity for the golden goal came two minutes later as a shot by Santos was blocked by a Colby defender at the goal mouth.
Tufts had the advantage in shots in the game by a count of 13-7. The Jumbos also had 10 corner kicks to six for Colby. Zeller had the two aforementioned saves in the game, while sophomore Corey Funkhouser (Hopewell, NJ) had three stops for the Mules.
Tufts heads to Trinity College for a Sunday afternoon NESCAC matchup. Kickoff is at 1:00. Colby hosts Maine-Farmington Sunday at 2:00 pm.
Match statistics
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