MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – After brilliant defending for 80+ minutes,
Evan O'Brien '24 made the most of a late scoring chance, landing his head on an in-swinging free kick from
Lucas Ruehlemann '25 that found the back of the net. O'Brien's 81
st minute goal proved to be the game-winner for the Wesleyan men's soccer team in a 1-0 upset win over No. 5 nationally-ranked Tufts on Tuesday night from Smith Field.
A win of big significance, Wesleyan (3-0, 2-0 NESCAC) continues their undefeated start to the season while the Cardinals record their first win over a Top 5 ranked squad since a 1-0 win over then-No. 1 Amherst in the NESCAC Quarterfinals back on October 31, 2016. Wesleyan also records their first win over the Jumbos since 2016 and first home win over Tufts since 2013.
With Wesleyan deciding to play the classic counterattacking approach against a Tufts squad that made it to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Cardinals leaned on their defense in this one. Backboned by goalkeeper
Liam Devanny '23, the senior tied his career-high with 10 saves while recording his 13
th career clean sheet.
In the first half, Tufts dominated possession and finished with a 9-3 edge in shots and 4-0 advantage in corner kicks, but the Cardinals managed to hold off the Jumbos thanks in part to six saves from Devanny in the first half alone.
The second half saw more of the same to start as Tufts continued to press for a goal and had a great chance as Sean Traynor took a touch to his right in the 61
st minute just inside the box and whipped a shot far post but Devanny made a crucial fingertip stop to push the attempt wide for a Jumbo corner kick.
Wesleyan began to find some footing offensively for the next 10+ minutes as attempts on-target came from
Soren Tollis '25 and
Zach Wheeler '25 as well as attempts in heavy traffic from
Dane Harmaty '24 that were deflected away by the legs of Tufts defenders.
The breakthrough came in the 81
st minute as Ruehlemann set up an in-swinging, right-footed free kick attempt that was struck perfect, right towards the deep center of the box. With several Cardinals tracking the ball, O'Brien managed to nudge the ball with his head just enough to get the ball past Tufts keeper Erik Lauta.
With time still remaining, Tufts had a pair of shots on-target and three corner kicks, but none of which resulted in a great scoring chance. The Jumbos' Anthony Bhangdia had a shot from just inside the box sail high and wide in the 83
rd minute.
The goal was O'Brien's first of the season and third of his career while Ruehlemann has assists in back-to-back games, upping his career total to nine through 19 career appearances for the Cardinals.
With all sorts of momentum, a 3-0 start to a season for the first time since 2017 and 2-0 start to NESCAC play for the first time since 2013, Wesleyan looks to continue its strong start with a Saturday non-conference showdown against Brandeis at 12:00 PM from Jackson Field.
