Induction introduction presented by Kyle Dezotell, Tufts men's soccer head coach

"To close the night, I am so honored to introduce and induct an incredible group of Jumbos – the 2014 Tufts men’s soccer team!"

This remarkable team, under the leadership of head coach Josh Shapiro who was then in just his fifth season, not only catapulted Tufts Men’s Soccer into national prominence by capturing the program’s first NCAA Championship -- it also laid the foundation for an unprecedented run that would include three more national titles in the following five years.

During Josh’s first few years at Tufts, two other Jumbo programs won the university’s first-ever NCAA team championships – the 2010 NCAA champion men’s lacrosse team and the 2012 NCAA champion field hockey team. And from the moment Josh arrived in 2010, he believed the Tufts men’s soccer team was a sleeping giant capable of achieving that same level of success.

After improving seasons in 2010 and 2011, the Jumbos broke through with an NCAA tournament berth in 2012. This was a significant step forward, as it represented their first NCAA tournament appearance in 16 years. They narrowly missed out on the tournament in 2013, but optimism remained high heading into the 2014 campaign. Leading the way, was Josh’s first recruiting class—now seniors—including Maxime Hoppenot, Sam Williams, Peter Lee-Kramer, Gus Santos, Michael Miele, and Kyle Volpe. Backed by strong underclassmen, this team had the depth, experience, and confidence that was needed to accomplish something special.

The 2014 Jumbos began the season with five straight wins, and after a mid-season stretch of ties and close matches, the Jumbos won five of their last six regular-season games. They finished the NESCAC regular-season undefeated and earned the #1 seed for the NESCAC Tournament.

Riding that momentum, a return to the NCAA seemed like a sure thing. But soccer can be a crazy game, and the Jumbos suffered a tough upset loss to the #8 seed Conn College Camels in the quarterfinal round. Suddenly, the team’s hopes for an NCAA tournament bid were a bit uncertain. They gathered together in the film room to watch the NCAA Selection Show, and they were thrilled…and perhaps a bit relieved…when “TUFTS” flashed onto the tournament bracket.

For the first and second rounds, the Jumbos traveled to Wheaton, Massachusetts where they defeated Dickinson 2-1 and then shut out Wheaton, 2-0.

The Jumbos hit the road again for the NCAA sectional rounds in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In the Sweet 16, the Jumbos took care of business with a 2–0 win over host Muhlenberg College. That victory set the stage for what was likely the biggest challenge in the program’s history. In their Elite 8 matchup, they would face national powerhouse and #1-ranked Messiah College. To put this into context, Messiah was not only the reigning national champion -- they were a dynasty. They had won eight of the last 10 NCAA championships, and they came into the game against Tufts riding a 39-game unbeaten streak.

Undaunted, the Jumbos stunned Messiah with a beautiful goal by Jayson Kayne just 53 seconds into the match. Jason’s strike from outside the box and into the top right corner of the net proved to be the only goal of game, and after a composed but tense 89 minutes of solid defense and goal-keeping by Scott Greenwood, Tufts had shocked the DIII soccer world and punched its ticket to the program’s first-ever Final Four.

Unranked for most of the season, and still an underdog, the Jumbos traveled to Kansas City, eager to prove they belonged among the nation’s top programs. In their national semifinal game against Ohio Wesleyan, Scott Greenwood delivered a fourth straight tournament shutout, and two goals from Gus Santos and another from Matt Zinner powered the Jumbos to a 3-0 win.

In the championship game against Wheaton College of Illinois, the Jumbos struck first once again, this time on a goal by Peter Lee-Kramer. Tufts was up 3-one in the second half, but Wheaton would battle back to narrow the score to 3–2. With the tension mounting, it was Nathan Majumder who sealed the title with a clutch goal in the 81st minute. The final score: Tufts 4 - Wheaton 2 — the Jumbos were national champions!

With a 16-2-4 overall record, the 2014 team set the Tufts record for wins that remains third on the all-time list. Much more important, the championship culture they created in 2014 has been instilled in all the teams that followed them – in fact, the program has qualified for NCAAs every year since!

It is with immense respect and pride that we welcome the 20 members of the 2014 Tufts Men’s Soccer team with us tonight into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame.  Please join me in honoring these great Jumbos!"