Box Score Recap courtesy of Amherst College
AMHERST - Senior Nico Pascual-Leone struck from 25 yards out in the 106th minute of action to lead the #4 Amherst College men's soccer team to a thrilling, 1-0 double overtime victory over #12 Tufts University Saturday afternoon at Hitchcock Field.
The goal allowed Amherst (8-0-0, 4-0-0 NESCAC) to keep its record unblemished, while Tufts (5-2-1, 3-1-1 NESCAC) is now 0-2-1 in its last three starts.
With 4:13 left in the 10-minute second OT, Amherst's Andrew Orozco won a header and directed the ball to the foot of Pascual-Leone. He curled a shot into the upper left hand corner from 25 yards out to give Amherst the win
In the first half, Amherst controlled the pace of play to start the contest, out-shooting Tufts 6-1 in the frame. In the 23rd minute of play, senior Greg Singer ripped a low shot from the right side of the 18-yard box that drifted just wide of the post for the hosts. In the 29th minute, Pascual-Leone had a chance from just inside the six-yard box after he received a cross in from junior Rohan Sood. Tufts junior goalie Scott Greenwood turned away the close-range shot to keep the match level.
Greenwood finished with three saves in the first half, while Purple & White goalkeeper Thomas Bull stopped a Kevin Halliday shot and notched one save in the half.
The second stanza saw Amherst hold a 10-6 edge in shots, with freshman Luke Nguyen testing Greenwood early in the 51st minute.
The Jumbos had a chance to take the lead at the 71:51 mark when sophomore Matt Zinner fired on target, but Amherst junior defender Justin Aoyama made a sliding block to keep the score set at 0-0.
In the 80th minute, Lord Jeffs junior Christopher Martin found space down the left wing and beat a defender at the top of the box and drilled a curling shot that went just inches wide of the far post past the outstretched arms of Greenwood. Pascual-Leone continued to pressure the Tufts defensive third of the field as he had two attempts – including a header with just 30 seconds remaining in regulation – cleared off the line by defenders, and a free kick sail just inches above the crossbar.
After the first 10 minutes of overtime saw neither team able to claim victory, the Jumbos had a pair of shots by Rui Pinheiro and Tyler Kulcsar go wide of the post.
Saturday's win marked the third straight double overtime victory for the Purple & White. Greenwood finished with eight saves in the Tufts net, while Bull had four total. Amherst attempted 17 shots to 10 by Tufts, while corner kicks were 3-1 Jumbos.
The contest also marked the first annual Moe Zeidan Cup which is awarded annually to the winner of the regular-season match between the men's soccer teams of Amherst and Tufts. Moe attended Amherst where he earned his undergraduate degree in neuroscience, played four years as a goalkeeper for the soccer team, and served as student body president during his senior year. Later, he enrolled as a doctoral candidate at the Tufts School of Medicine, where he successfully completed three years of the program before being involved in a fatal bicycle accident days after beginning his fourth and final year.
Tufts plays again tomorrow at Hamilton in a 1:30 start. The Lord Jeffs are in action again on Wednesday at Mount St. Mary in New York (8 pm).
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