Box Score SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Junior goalkeeper Sam Polito made a career-high 12 saves, but Bates College men's soccer fell to Tufts University, 4-0, at Kraft Field on Saturday afternoon.
In the NESCAC opener for both teams, Connor Brown scored twice for the Jumbos (2-0-0, 1-0-0 NESCAC) – in the 7th and 46th minutes – while Sam Williams and Dexter Eichhorst each added a goal in the 55th and 85th minutes respectively with the Bobcats (0-1-1, 0-1-0 NESCAC) playing with 10 men.
Polito (Far Hills, N.J.) answered the call twice early in the match, stopping a shot off a free kick from 20 yards out in the 3rd minute before making another save a minute later.
Brown then put the Jumbos on the board at the 6:10 mark as he headed home a cross from Jason Kayne. Kayne sent a ball into the penalty area from left to right, and Brown redirected the shot toward the left post after another Jumbo attacker just missed a diving header.
Polito (0-1-1) continued to keep Bates within a goal as he stopped a shot from 20 yards out in the 11th minute and denied a deflected shot three minutes later. The Bobcat net-minder stopped another four shots between the 19th and 26th minutes.
The Jumbos gained a penalty kick in the 29th minute, but Zach Halliday's shot hit the left post and went out of bounds with Polito diving in the direction of the shot. Tufts gained another opportunity six minutes later when a Jumbo shot went wide left of an open net.
Bates almost found an equalizer just before the break when a bouncing ball slipped past the Jumbo goalkeeper, but the officials ruled a Bobcat was offsides on the play.
Tufts doubled its lead less than a minute into the second half as Brown tallied his second goal of the game off Kayne's second assist right after Bates senior Sean Moyo (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) received a yellow card. In the 50th minute, Moyo was sent off, leaving the Bobcats to play with 10 men.
Playing a man up, the Jumbos increased their lead to 3-0 at the 54:06 mark after a corner kick from Monil Patel. Polito stymied the initial attempt off the set piece, but Williams poked home the ensuing loose ball in the goal area.
The Jumbos extended their advantage to 4-0 as Eichhorst knocked a ball through traffic into the net from close range.
Tufts goalie Scott Greenwood (2-0-0) did not have to make a save in earning the shutout.
Next, Bates plays at Thomas College on Wednesday at 7 p.m. while Tufts plays at Suffolk University on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
