MEDFORD, MA – The Tufts University men's soccer team will enter the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) playoffs this Saturday as the No. 7 seed facing off against second see Williams College in Williamstown, MA.
Game Details:
Opponent: at Williams (6-1-8, 4-1-5 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday October 29, 2022
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Williamstown, MA – Cole Field (
Directions)
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
The Jumbos are coming off a 0-0 tie to No. 6 ranked Bowdoin University Polar Bears to end the regular season. Tufts battled back and forth with Bowdoin for 90 minutes exchanging attacks. The second half saw a lot of chances for the Jumbos to take the win with a goal but were cut short due to great goalkeeping.
Williams finished off the season with a 1-0 victory over No. 20 Middlebury on Tuesday October 25. Their win was capitalized from an 82
nd minute winner from Brady Foehl. The Ephs also backed that with a 2-0 win on the road at Trinity College as well as a 0-0 draw to No. 25 Hamilton College.
Tufts has seen some phenomenal defending from their back line and sophomore goalkeeper
Erik Lauta. Lauta is ranked third in the conference for save percentage with .850 which also ranks him 17
th in the nation. On top of that the Jumbos defense is currently ranked fourth in the conference and 27
th in the nation with .653 goals against average. That includes six shutouts from
Erik Lauta and the Jumbos defense including shutouts against four nationally ranked opponents throughout the year.
On the other side of the ball, the Jumbos offense is often lead by leading goal scorer
Ian Daly with five goals on the year. Daly gets support from junior forward
Mikey Brady with four goals to his name. All of which is made a lot easier from crafty midfield play from
Ethan Feigin with four assists which is 10
th in the NESCAC and
Zach Seigelstein with three of his own. Both are often accompanied by freshman midfielder
Daniel Yanez who has displayed some beautiful skills on the ball as well as a free kick specialist.
Tufts is ranked fifth in the conference for shots on goal per game with 7.43 shots. That is backed by a total of 16 shots on average per game which ranks them third in the NESCAC. With 30 total goals on the season for the Jumbos they hold the three spot in the NESCAC rankings for goals in the year.
The Jumbos have received two NESCAC player of the week awards during this season. The first one coming from
Erik Lauta in first week of the season. He was awarded with this due to his shutout against defending national champion Connecticut College who at the time was ranked No. 1 nationally. The second Jumbo two earn this reward was
Woovin Shin in the last week of the regular season. Shin scored a marvelous free kick goal in a 1-0 victory over Middlebury who at the time was first in the NESCAC and seventh in the nation. Shin's free kick attempt was his first touch on the ball after subbing in just one minute earlier, and he smashed it past the wall and goalie into the side netting. Both Jumbos received their first ever recognition this year.
The Ephs defense is a strong one, as Ben Diffley leads the NESCAC in save percentage at .881 which is also fifth in the nation. Diffley also ranks fourth in the conference for saves per game with 4.21 saves a game. Diffley is supported by his back line as they have a .571 team goals against average ranking them second in the NESCAC and 15
th in the nation.
Williams' offense is led by their leading goal scorer Will Felitto with three goals on the year. Felitto is joined by Nick Boardman who is third in the NESCAC for assists with five this season. The Ephs offense has the fifth highest assists in a game this season with six in a 4-0 win over Bates on September 17.
The Ephs have earned themselves two NESCAC player of the week awards. The first player to be recognized was senior defender/forward Will Felitto on September 21. Felitto was given the award for his goal in the 4-0 win over Bates as well as his brace against Tufts in a comeback 2-2 draw. His goals against Tufts were his first ever time registering points against the Jumbos. The next Eph to win the award was Ben Diffley on September 26. Diffley recorded two shutouts in the week including a game with seven saves against Bowdoin to hold onto a 1-0 win over the eventual regular season champions.
Tufts vs. Williams Series
Series Record (since 1975): 34-10-3, Williams
Last Tufts Win: 2021, 1-0 at Tufts
Last Williams Win: 2013, 2-1 at Williams
Current Streak: T1
Large Margins (since 1975): Williams, 5-0, 1986; Williams, 6-0, 1991; Williams, 6-0, 2003
--JUMBOS--
