Box Score Hartford, Conn. – Junior captain back Shaun McGann
(West Hartford, Conn.) scored in the 43rd minute and
sophomore goalkeeper Jason Katz (Middleton, Mass.)
made 12 saves to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 1-1 tie in
double overtime against the visiting Tufts University Jumbos in New
England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) men's
soccer action this afternoon. Trinity moves to 3-1-2 overall
and 2-1-2 in the NESCAC, while the Jumbos, ranked No. 3 in New
England and No. 22 in the nation, are now 4-0-2 overall and 2-0-2
in the NESCAC with their second stalemate in as many days.
McGann scored from rookie midfielder Josh Leblanc
(Manchester, Conn.) to give Trinity a 1-0 lead.
McGann met LeBlanc's floating cross with a thunderous
right-footed volley that beat Tufts junior goalkeeper Wyatt
Zeller (Sea Ranch Lakes, Fla.). Though Zeller was able to
parry McGann's shot, the power of the strike was too much and
the ball muscled through and into the net.
Jumbo freshman midfielder Jason Kayne (Deerfield,
Ill.) evened the score in the 57th minute on an unassisted
tally. Kayne capitalized on a skirmish at the Trinity goal
early in the second half, redirecting a rebounded shot to the far
post where it deflected off of a Trinity defender and flew into the
net.
In overtime, Katz made a game-saving save on a headed ball in
the only close chance of extra time. Trinity junior captain
Zachary Packer (North Attleboro, Mass.) and
Kyle Johnston (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) played key
roles against a Tufts offense that was averaging over 2.0 goals per
game, holding Jumbo leading scorer Maxime Hoppenot
(Princeton, N.J.) off the scoreboard. Zeller had four
saves, as Tufts held a 19-7 edge shooting the ball.
“We're better than we've been playing,”
said Trinity Head Coach Mike Pilger (9th
Season) who earned his 200th career win as a college coach
in yesterday's 3-0 triumph over Connecticut College.
“This team is relatively young and inexperienced and
we're playing like it. We will made the necessary
adjustments and there is plenty of room to grow. The results
are not bad for a busy weekend, and I have confidence we will keep
improving.”
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