Box Score
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| Jason Kayne scored two goals in the Jumbos' season opener |
MEDFORD - The Tufts men's soccer team began their season with an overwhelming 8-0 home victory over the UMass Boston Beacons, a team they haven't met with since 1999. Midfielder Jason Kayne led the Jumbos with two goals and linemates Rui Pinheiro and Connor Brown added two assists apiece.
Kayne started the scoring for the Jumbos in the 13th minute firing the ball into the lower right corner past Beacons goalie Estive Sosa. In the 16th minute off a set piece from Pinheiro that acted as a shortened corner kick, Sam Williams came up from his sweeper position and found the netting as a cluster of players crowded the front of the goal. Forward Gus Santos struck just 12 seconds later as he put away a pretty one-touch pass from midfielder Brown.
Game Talk - Coach Shapiro
With just over five minutes left in the half, Tufts goalie Scott Greenwood's goal kick floated into the opposing third where middie Kyle Volpe used his 6' 2" frame to flick the ball with his head off the bounce to striker Maxime Hoppenot who got his foot on the ball and sent a dribbler past Sosa.
The Beacons created a dangerous chance by Elton Teixeira on a through ball just before the end of the half, but Tufts drew them offsides and went into the break with a 4-0 lead.
The second half was almost a mirror image of the first, with Tufts matching their first-half goal total and preserving the shutout, with the only difference being several new faces. Brown created a great opportunity for the Jumbos when his hustle play on defense led to a quick throw-in to a streaking Nate Majumder who had slipped behind the defense and was able to put the ball off the left post past new Beacons goalie Spencer Saunders.
As fresh legs entered the game, forward Tal Smith made a slicing run with the ball starting from behind midfield before he found a cutting Volpe who collected the ball and fired it into the right upper 90. In the 85th minute, Tufts midfielder Kevin Lawson drove into the defense and sent a through ball to freshman striker Dexter Eichorst who was cut down by a charging Saunders. Eichorst was awarded a penalty kick and the first-year stepped to the penalty spot, drilling the shot past Saunders for his first collegiate goal. Tufts goalie Bruce Johnson played the final 20 minutes and kept the Beacons off the scoresheet, securing the shutout.
Beacons goalies Sosa and Saunders faced a 20 shot barrage and recorded two saves each in a loss that pushed UMass Boston to a 1-2 record. Greenwood and Johnson saw three shots as the Jumbos kick-off their season with a 1-0 record.
Eight goals is the most a Tufts team has scored since a season-opening 10-0 win at Newbury in 2000. That year, the Jumbos went on to win the ECAC New England Tournament Championship. The Jumbos' dominance today will give them some confidence heading into their conference opener on Saturday against Bates at 2:30pm.
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