Jumbos Jump out to Early Lead, Win 4-1 at Wesleyan

MIDDLETOWN, CT (September 28, 2024) - The Tufts University men's soccer team jumped out to a three goal lead and held on to win 4-1 in a New England Small College Athletic Conference match in Middletown, Conn. at Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at Jackson Field.

The Jumbos (7-0-1) and Cardinals (4-2-2) opened with each team feeling out the other. The midfield saw the bulk of play as each side exchanged possession through the opening 10 minutes. Senior Ethan Feigin was the first Jumbo to foreshadow the onslaught to come, as he fired the first shot of the game for Tufts. Feigin's shot seemed to shift something in the Tufts offense, as everything clicked for the Jumbos from there onwards. 

A corner kick won by the Jumbos in the 11th minute saw them pile bodies into the opposing penalty area. The numbers in the box proved overwhelming for the Cardinals defense, as the ball bounced around in the box before finally being poked home by senior Taylor Feinberg for his first goal of the season. Graduate student Mikey Brady earned the assist. The Jumbos led by a goal, but they weren't done yet.

One minute later, the Jumbos found the back of the net again. This time it was a beautiful pass from graduate student Liam Gerken that found Feigin on the back post. Feigin simply had too much momentum for the Cardinals defense to stop, and his outstretched foot just passed ahead of the diving defender to give the Jumbos a two goal lead. Feigin's score was his first of the season, while it was Gerken's third assist.

Feigin would strike again 10 minutes later, this time doing so with flair. Feigin made his own space on the left wing, opening up a shooting lane for himself at the edge of the penalty area. He stepped through the ball, firing a rocketing shot past the Wesleyan goalkeeper Mathis Blanc. A beauty of a goal, good for a 3-0 lead for the Jumbos and Feigin's second score of the game.

The second half opened with Wesleyan testing the waters more aggressively than the first. Even with their increased tempo, the Jumbos defense held fast. Graduate student Max Clivio led the defense with a dominant physical presence from the back line. Junior Mateo Bargagna was rock solid as well, denying opportunities for the Cardinals from his right back position.

The physicality gradually increased throughout the latter frame of the match, culminating in a late foul in the Cardinals penalty area. Junior Daniel Yanez stepped up to the spot and fired a shot up the middle. Mathis dived to his left, but barely managed to get his foot to the ball, denying Yanez of the score.

Tufts would find themselves defending more as the game wore on, and were caught unable to clear the ball from the back lines in the 81st minute of play. Colin Campbell secured the ball and slid a dribbling shot past junior goalkeeper Nikola Antic. For Antic, it was the only downside to an otherwise stellar outing which saw him make five saves. 

Sophomore Xavier Canfin would ice the game just minutes later, sprinting down the field to collect a long pass. A touch with the outside of his foot opened him up perfectly to shoot, and he did as he powered a shot past Mathis to score the fourth goal of the game for the Jumbos. 

The Jumbos secured the win and matched their season-high goal scoring total with four goals. It was Ethan Feigin's first multi-goal game.

The Jumbos will be back in action on Tuesday for a home non conference match against Babson at 7:00 PM Tuesday.