Thursday, November 10, 2005

THREE NAMED TO NESCAC MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

MEDFORD—The New England Small Conference Athletic Conference (NESCAC) named its All-Conference Selections on Thursday, with three men's soccer Jumbos among the 2005 honorees.  Senior midfielders Mike Guigli (North Stonington, CT/Wheeler) and Greg O'Connell (Cohasset, MA/Belmont Hill), along with junior forward Mattia Chason (Rome, Italy/Lycee Chauteaubriand), were all recognized as NESCAC Second-Team selections.

Chason led the Jumbos in goals and total points scored in the 2005 season, tallying 20 points on nine goals and two assists in 15 games. The nine goals were third and the 20 points sixth in the conference statistics. He was named NESCAC Player of the Week on October 17, following a three-goal week for the forward.  Chason scored the game-tying goal in the 75^th minute against Plymouth State on October 12 to help the Jumbos salvage a tie against the Panthers, then ranked eighth in New England.   The forward following up that performance three days later with a two-goal effort against NESCAC rival Trinity College, helping the Jumbos rally from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Bantams 3-2 in overtime.

Guigli, the only player to start all 15 games for the Jumbos, ranked second on the team in goals and assists, tallying four of each for a career high 12 points. Eight (2 goals, 4 assists) came in NESCAC games. He scored the game-winning goal of a post-season clinching 2-0 victory against Wesleyan and led Tufts with 53 shots.

O'Connell, the team's physical presence in the middle of the field since joining the Tufts side as a freshman last year, notched three goals and one assist for seven points in his second season at Tufts.

Guigli and O'Connell's selections marked the first time each had been named to an All-Conference Team. The three Jumbos honored were the most for the team since the 2002 season.

Tufts' season was ended by NESCAC rival Middlebury College for the third year in a row in a NESCAC Tournament first-round matchup at Middlebury on October 30.  The Panthers edged the Jumbos by a 1-0 margin, scoring off a penalty kick just seven minutes into the game. The Jumbos, coached by 16^th-year coach Ralph Ferrigno, ended the season with a 5-8-2 record overall and 4-5 in the conference for sixth place.

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