Box Score GAMBIER, OH - Kenyon College sophomore Henry Myers scored with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Lords to a 3-2 win over Tufts University in the third round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship on Friday.
Host Kenyon (19-1-1) advances to the national quarterfinals where they will host either Calvin or Franklin & Marshall on Saturday at 1 pm. The Knighs and the Diplomats are playing in Friday's other third-round game at the Kenyon site. Saturday's winner will move on to the national semi-finals in Kansas City.
Tufts, attempting to defend the NCAA title won last season, saw its season end with an 11-5-3 mark. The Jumbos were led by two goals from junior Nathan Majumder, who finished the season with 11.
Majumder had scored his second goal of the game in the 71st minute to tie the score at 2-2. He took a pass from junior Gaston Becherano and scored from close range with a shot inside the right post.
The match seemed destined for overtime until the Lords put together a late surge. Junior Jordan Glassman nearly netted the go-ahead goal with 90 seconds left, getting his head on a ball into the box by sophomore Oliver Wynn. Tufts junior keeper Scott Greenwood calmly made the save.
Tufts couldn't keep possession though, resulting in a Kenyon flurry around the goal with the clock winding down under one minute. That's when Myers, positioned at the right side of the box, connected on the game-winner.
The Jumbos had taken a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute in when Majumder headed in a corner kick placed beautifully into the goal mouth by senior Rui Pinheiro. Tufts continued to threaten with junior Kevin Lawson's shot barely one minute later saved by Kenyon's Sam Clougher. Another Majumder header was saved by Clougher in the 19th minute.
Kenyon would gain some momentum 20 minutes into the frame. After a pair of wide bids by junior Josh Lee and Myers sandwiched a corner, the Jumbos were whistled for a foul right in front of Greenwood. Lords senior Jeremiah Barnes converted the penalty kick in the 23rd minute to tie the game at 1-1.
It was the second straight game in which a penalty shot was the first goal allowed by the Jumbos. In the second round last Sunday, Montclair State tied the game against Tufts 1-1 with a penalty shot goal in the 44th minute.
Kenyon would score again less than two minutes later, turning the game around. A throw-in by Myers was scored by Wynn in the 25th minute for a 2-1 Kenyon lead
The hosts would maintain the momentum for most of the remainder of the opening half. A Tufts foul gave the Lords a free kick 10 yards outside of the top of the box and Wynn's attempt was just wide in the 40th minute.
Kenyon finished the half with an 11-8 advantage in shots, but the Jumbos put four on goal compared to three by the Lords. Corners were 4-1 Tufts at the half.
Into the second half, Greenwood had an early save on David Resnekov before the action went neutral for the next 20 minutes. However, the Jumbos would capitalize on the first shot they put on target in the second half tying the score with Majumder's goal in the 71st minute.
At Montclair State in the second round, the Jumbos had come back from a 2-1 deficit in the second half and the possibility was there again today. However, this time it was the opponent with the late game-winning goal putting an end to Tufts' eight-game NCAA winning streak (all on the road).
For Tufts, ranked 12th defensively in the nation entering the game with a 0.58 goals against average, the three goals allowed were the most in 82 games. The last time was a 3-0 loss to Amherst on October 1, 2011. Kenyon had the nation's 28th ranked offense entering the game with a 2.65 scoring average.
Shots ended at 15-13 Kenyon with six on goal for each team. Clougher made four saves for Kenyon and Greenwood finished with three for Tufts. Corners were 6-1 in favor of the Jumbos.
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