Williamstown, MA – Tough defense and a strong, tempo-controlling second half from the Williams College Ephs (1-0-0; 0-1-0 NESCAC) made it seem like the Ephs would at least get a point in their home opener against the Tufts Jumbos (1-0-0; 1-0-0 NESCAC). This is how the match would have gone if it hadn't been for Tufts forward Xavier Canfin, who had different ideas. In the 87th minute, Canfin got his fully extended foot on an out-swinging ball into the box after a beautiful sequence of Tufts passing to push the ball past William's senior goalkeeper
Ben Diffley, downing Williams 1-0 in the Ephs home opener.
The Tufts Jumbos created a lot in the first half relative to their hosts, out shooting the Ephs 10-7. Goalkeeper Ben Diffley did well in the first half, controlling his box in the air and making seven saves, even though most were not particularly difficult for the All-American Goalkeeper.
In the 4th minute, Tufts midfielder Ben Brown(T) redirected an in swinging ball across the goal, bound for inner side-netting. Thankfully for the Ephs, 6ft. 5in. Ben Diffley, outstretched, was able to grab the ball out of the air.
Tuft's Ben Brown, who frequently contributed to his side's attack with impressive, box-entering long throws, had another opportunity only 3 minutes later, but yet again was stopped by Diffley.
While Tufts had more first-half shots than Williams, the best chance of the half came from Ephs' junior forward Henry Kirkman in the 13th minute. It started when senior Tate Michelson picked up the ball in the left upper third of the field and hit a perfectly weighted pass to junior Evan Vasquez, who had run into space on the edge of the box. Vasquez squared it across the box to Kirkman, whose shot was inches away from slipping past Tufts goalkeeper Nikola Antic.
The center backs also played key roles in protecting Diffley's goal. In the 35th minute, senior center back Felipe Gutierrez played a good ball out of pressure, turning a dangerous Tufts press into a goal scoring opportunity for first year Lorcan Mitchell. In the 42nd Minute, sophomore Beck Walthers slid to stop a Mateo Barganna pass across the 6-yard box, which almost certainly would have resulted in a goal without Walthers' intervention.
The first half ended 0-0.
Williams grew into the game in the second half, totaling five shots and out shooting Tufts on target 3-2. Williams got many chances from wide areas, particularly from the 7 corners they took.
Sophomore Kellan Grace was a particular standout, getting the ball in good spots in the left channel and taking dangerous free kicks and corners. In the 60th and 63rd minutes of play Kellan hit two dangerous crosses, the first forcing a save from Tufts keeper Nikola Antic and the second coming from another good ball from Felipe Gutierrez.
As the game rolled on, so did the Ephs' attack. In the 79th minute, junior Mohamed Keussom took a perfect touch past Jumbo Ben Verner, putting him nearly on goal. Verner, knowing he was beat, cynically took down Keussom, preventing an incredibly good opportunity for Williams. Verner received a yellow card for his foul, a small price to pay for stopping a potential goal.
Williams almost got the goal they deserved only a minute later when a rebounded ball fell to Henry Kirkman who struck the ball low and hard to the right. The Jumbos could only watch and pray as the ball barely missed the bottom right corner of Antic's goal.
The Eph barrage continued. In the 84th minute, recent brace-scoring, first year Alex Bethencourt fired off two shots in the box consecutively, both of which were blocked by Tufts defenders.
While Williams was knocking on the door, it would be Tufts, against the run of play, who would force it open. In the 87th minute, a pin-point accurate long ball switch found the feet of Tuft's Liam Gerken, who, with good movement, found himself with a bit of space and the ball at his feet. Gerken whipped the ball into the Williams Box, and Tufts forward Xavier Canfin, with a karate chop-type kick, got his fully stretched foot out to push the ball into the back of the net, stealing all 3 points for the Jumbos.
Williams head coach Steffen Siebert commented on the heartbreaking loss: "Very proud of the effort of the team and how we were able to create a lot of momentum in the second half of the game against a very good Tufts team."
Williams will hope to leverage their second-half momentum to get a result in their next game at home against Hamilton College on Tuesday 9/10, at 7 PM EST on Farley-Lamb Field.
