Men’s soccer team lose in Sweet 16 of Division III Tournament

By Lauren Zedlar
Elm Staff Writer

On Saturday, Nov. 20, the Washington College men’s soccer team faced the Tufts University Jumbos in the third round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Tournament. The game took place at Bello Field in Medford, Ma. and determined which team would move on to the next round in the Tournament with eight teams remaining.

Senior Greg Adams had the first scoring opportunity for the Shoremen around the 13th minute of the match. He received a pass from senior James Strine and attempted to head in the ball, but was blocked by the Jumbos’ goalie.

Adams had an additional chance to score seven minutes later, but his shot was 15 yards off goal.

The Jumbos had their own scoring opportunity around the 23rd minute on a break away play, but were stopped by the Shoremen defense. Junior Cole Gifford had his own chance to score at the 23rd minute after a free kick from Strine, but his shot went wide.

After 45 minutes of a scoreless game, the Jumbos found their way down the field and scored on Shoremen goalie Anthony Pinto. The goal gave Jumbos the first lead of the game over the Shoremen at 1–0.

It also marked the first goal made on Pinto in the past seven games.

Just under five minutes later, the Shoremen responded with their own goal to tie the match. Senior Del Jenkins assisted Adams, who shot from 15 yards out and scored.

The Shoremen’s next best opportunity to score occurred with 15 minutes left in game play. Senior Eric Gwadz had a path down the field to the goal, but was stopped by a Jumbos’ defender who prevented him from scoring.

This play resulted in a yellow card and yielded an indirect kick for Strine. Strine’s attempt went above the goal, keeping the game at 1–1.

The clock ran out and the game was forced into overtime. Two minutes into overtime, the Jumbos managed to find the corner of the net and scored past Pinto.

Throughout the match, the Jumbos held a 14–11 advantage in total shots over the Shoremen. They also held a 4–3 advantage on corner kicks.

This win sent the Jumbos into the next round of the Tournament and ended the Shoremen’s historic season.

“It’s a shame we didn’t get the win, but there are a lot of positives from the season and we are excited to get back to work to prepare for next year,” junior Harrison Malone said. 

The Shoremen finished with a school-best record of 15–5–1 and with their first Centennial Conference Championship. They also competed in the NCAA Division III Tournament and won two games, another first for WC.

Throughout the season, seniors Strine and Adams scored 10 goals and six assists each. The other seniors included Jenkins, Gwadz, Trevor Zinkland, and Joe Mutscheller in this momentous season.

The remaining Shoremen will return to playing in the fall of 2022 for their next season.

Photo by Grace Hazlehurst

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