MEDFORD, Mass. – A pair of Tufts goals just 1:18 apart midway through the second half proved to be the difference in a 2-1 victory for the No. 1 nationally-ranked Jumbos over the Wesleyan men's soccer team from Bello Field on Tuesday night. Tufts remains unbeaten at 3-0 (2-0 NESCAC) while the Cardinals drop their second straight NESCAC contest, falling to 1-2 (0-2 NESCAC) in 2021.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Wesleyan defense played exceptionally well throughout the first half, despite being outshot 8-1, the Cardinals kept the Jumbos off the scoresheet
• Tufts was the aggressor right from the jump, landing two shots on-target in the opening eight minutes while Calvin Aroh's header off a corner in the ninth minute banged off the woodwork
• Wesleyan keeper Liam Devanny '23 stood tall in the opening 45 minutes, recording five of his season-high six saves in the first half alone
• Dominating time of possession throughout the first, play was much more even to open the second half as Tufts was held to one just in the opening 18+ minutes until a failed clearance from Wesleyan in their own defensive box saw the ball land to Ian Daly who fed Mati Cano at the top of the 18 and his shot fired into the back of the net for the game's opening goal
• That Tufts breakthrough was met with a quick double as Devanny made a quick save on a Cano shot in transition but as the junior keeper tried to corral the rebound, he overshot the ball, lunging into a Jumbo and being met with a foul call which resulted in a Tufts penalty kick
• Stepping to the spot was Aroh who made no mistake, sending Devanny the wrong way and firing in the PK goal to the opposite corner
• Looking for a lifeline, Wesleyan saw their first shot on-target for the evening result in a goal as Zach Wheeler '25 carried into the box from the left wing, finding Nick Wallick '22 open to his right. Wallick quickly fed Tucker Kelsch right in front of goal and his shot went through the Tufts keeper and into the net to make it 2-1 Jumbos in the 72^nd minute
• Several late subs came on for Wesleyan, looking for the equalizer, but Evan O'Brien missed wide right, Lucas Ruehlemann '25 had a shot blocked and O'Brien missed high in the waning seconds as Tufts held on for the 2-1 win

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Wesleyan is now winless in their last four meetings against Tufts (0-3-1)
• Kelsch's goal was the second of his career and his first since his rookie season, back on Oct. 8, 2018 in a 2-1 win over Trinity
• Playing in his 34^th career game, Wallick's assist is the first of his career
• Devanny made six saves on the evening which is his high mark for the season
• After being outshot 8-1 in the first half, Wesleyan outshot the Jumbos 7-5 in the second half

NEXT UP:
Another difficult NESCAC matchup looms as Wesleyan heads on the road for the third straight game on Saturday with showdown against Little 3 rival Williams at 2 PM.