Box Score MEDFORD - The 10-1-3 Jumbos continue their dominance over the NESCAC with a 2-0 victory over 5-7-2 Hamilton for their seventh conference win. The Jumbos reach double digit victories for the first time since 2001 when that team went 11-4-1. Sam Williams and Gus Santos had the goal scoring duties for the Jumbos.
The first 45 minutes were played fairly evenly between the two sides with Tufts having the majority of the looks, including a 7-0 advantage on corner kicks. Early on, Connor Brown beat his defender on the right endline and dribbled towards net eventually passing it off to Kyle Volpe at the near post, but his attempt was muddled up by a Continental defender and ended up out of bounds for a goal kick.
Erich Marcks struck a set piece from beyond the 18 on the right side of the field and it found Ethan Kelly, but his header chance floated over the crossbar. Later, Santos was left alone near the top of the 18 with space in front of him, but his low strike wasn't much trouble for Hamilton goalkeeper Harris Pollack.
Later in the half, the Jumbos built up another quality chance wen Scott Sclar played a nice give and go with Jason Kayne on the left side of the field. Sclar advanced with the ball towards the middle of the field and passed off to Rui Pinheiro who dished wide right to an open Tal Smith. Smith smashed a low shot towards the far post, but it deflected off Hamilton defenders for a corner kick, from which nothing came. It was the third straight NESCAC opponent that Tufts would go into halftime with tied 0-0.
In the second half, the Jumbos laid on the pressure, outshooting the Continentals 8-2 in the frame. Brown worked hard down the right flank and sent in a great cross that Peter Lee-Kramer got his head to. Hamilton was able to clear it out, but not far enough as Williams, who was positioned just inside the 18, settled the clear on his chest letting it drop to his feet and one-timed a laser that slipped through Pollack's arms and rolled over the goal line for his third goal of the season.
Threatening opportunities piled up for the Jumbos. Tufts won a free kick off of the right corner of the 18 yard box and Pinheiro sent it to Williams who made solid contact, but his header climbed up and over the bar. Soon after, Pinheiro struck a corner kick that found the other six-foot-plus defender in Kramer, but he was unable to get high enough above the ball to direct his header on net and it sailed high.
The Continentals' best chance of the game came with under three minutes to play. Marcks' service found the head of Griffin Abbott in a scrum in front of the Jumbos' goal, but Tufts goaltender Scott Greenwood made a miraculous save to keep the Jumbos' fourth straight shutout, and eighth overall, as well as his league-leading .43 goals against average, intact.
With 20 seconds to play, as Hamilton had pushed many of their players into their offensive third in hopes of tying the game, the Jumbos created a counter attack that resulted in a calm Gus Santos burying a shot into the far right netting for his sixth goal of the year and fifth in as many games.
Tufts has now won five straight contests, which matches the streak they compiled at the beginning of the season. The Jumbos remain atop the NESCAC and conclude their regular season with their final NESCAC opponent next Wednesday when they travel to Bowdoin for a 3:00pm game.
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