#1 Tufts Stops Salem State 5-1

SALEM, Mass. -- Mati Cano (Washington, D.C.) scored two first half goals to lead No. 1 ranked Tufts to a 5-1 victory over Salem State on Tuesday evening, handing the Vikings their first home loss of the season. The Jumbos remain undefeated at 5-0 while the Vikings move to 4-4.

Cano put Tufts on the board early when he got behind Salem State's defense for an uncontested goal from the left side. Cano banged in his second goal in the 10th minute as the Vikings' defense failed to make a clear. 

Kendy Prince (Medford, Mass.) cut the deficit to one goal when he put home a nice feed from Cam Downer (Dracut, Mass.) in the 27th minute. However, Calvin Aroh (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Ian Daly (Albany, Calif.) knocked in back-to-back goals in the final six and a half minutes of the first half, allowing the Jumbos to carry a 4-1 lead into halftime. Tufts maintained possession on the Salem State side for most of the half, holding a 22-3 advantage in shots and a 7-0 margin in corners.

A turnover created by Aidan Welsh (Arnold, Md.) led to the senior giving Tufts a 5-1 lead in the 47th minute as he converted on a shot from 20 yards out. The Jumbos' clenched in  Salem State's offense, allowing the Vikings very few scoring opportunities as Tufts kept play on their opponents end for most of the half. Both teams emptied their benches midway through the second half as Tufts settled for the four-goal win.

Eric Lauta (Aptos, Calif.) earned the win in net making one save. Matt Hauntsman (Milford, N.H.) stopped 11 shots on the night. Jacob Totz (Houston, Texas) replaced Lauta and made a pair of saves while Leth Khan (Shrewsbury, Mass.) finished in net for the Vikings and was credited with four saves.