AMHERST, MA. —
Finn Hoefer scored twice and
Dimash Anuarbek added a goal as the Amherst College men's soccer team built a three-goal first-half lead, but No. 18 Tufts University rallied for a 3-3 NESCAC draw on Saturday afternoon.
The Mammoths came out on the front foot and put the Jumbos under immediate pressure, striking three times in the first 31 minutes. Tufts clawed one back before halftime and found two more in the second half to earn a share of the points, despite Amherst finishing with a 16-11 edge in shots and a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal.
With the draw, Amherst moves to 2-3-2 overall and 0-3-2 in NESCAC play, while Tufts sits at 5-1-3 and 2-1-2 in the conference.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
- Amherst needed just six minutes to open the scoring. Following a long ball out of the Mammoth midfield, Hoefer won a contested ball in the middle of the park, beat a Tufts defender with a series of moves and slotted a left-footed finish inside the near post for a 1-0 lead.
- The Mammoths doubled their advantage in the 29th minute off a set piece. Amherst's sustained pressure earned a corner kick, and in the scramble that followed, the ball bounced off Anuarbek in front of goal and rolled past Tufts keeper Nikola Antic to make it 2-0.
- Hoefer struck again barely a minute later. Mohammed Nuhu delivered a cross from the right flank, and Hoefer met it on the volley, hammering it into the left side of the net for his second of the day and a 3-0 Amherst lead.
- Tufts answered before the break, as William Cornog converted from the penalty spot to cut the deficit to 3-1 at halftime.
- The Jumbos pulled within one just over 10 minutes into the second half, when a Tufts cross into the box was inadvertently headed into the Amherst net by a Mammoth defender attempting to clear. Tufts then found the equalizer in the 68th minute, as Alex Johnson finished a low shot through traffic after a headed knockdown in the area to level the match at 3-3.
- Both sides had looks over a physical final 20 minutes, but neither could find a winner.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Amherst outshot Tufts 16-11 and put 10 attempts on target to the Jumbos' six. After a 6-5 shot edge at halftime, the Mammoths held a 10-6 advantage after the break. Amherst earned six corner kicks to Tufts' four, with Anuarbek's goal coming directly out of a corner sequence. Hoefer's two-goal performance gives him three on the season, and Nuhu added an assist on Hoefer's second goal. Amherst was credited with two assists in total. Antic made seven saves for Tufts, while the Amherst goalkeeper recorded three. The match was a physical one, with Tufts called for 11 fouls to Amherst's nine. Amherst was shown three yellow cards and Tufts two.
UP NEXT:
Amherst returns to action on Wednesday, October 7th at 3:30PM against Babson College at Babson in Wellesley, MA, Hartwell-Rogers Field.
