MEDFORD, MA– The Tufts University Jumbos women's soccer team will look for a first round victory in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament this Saturday, when they head to Williamstown, MA to take on the No. 13 ranked Williams College Ephs.
Game Details
Opponent: at Williams College (10-3-2, 7-2-1 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Williamstown, Mass. – Cole Field (
Directions)
Live Coverage:
Live Stats /
Live Video
In all-time head-to-heads matchups between the two since 2009, Williams has a large advantage, holding a record of 15-1-1. However, the Jumbos' only win came last year, on September 11, 2021, when they won with a 1-0 shutout in Medford. The Ephs hold a goal advantage of 31-12 over the Jumbos in that span.
The seventh seeded Jumbos are coming off of a solid regular season, finishing with a 9-4-2 overall record and 4-4-2 in the NESCAC. They were 5-2-1 at home and 4-2-1 on the road, showing that home field advantage isn't always the key deciding factor for their team. However, they will surely have their hands full with the second seeded Ephs (10-3-2, 7-2-1 NESCAC), who are 6-1 at home this season. Additionally, they have not been defeated by the Jumbos at home dating back to the past 13 years.
The two met earlier this year in Williamstown, back on Sunday, September 18th. The game was a tooth and nail battle, and the Ephs came out victorious in a 1-0 shutout. The only goal scored in the game came from Blakely Buckingham, who would later go on to score once more in the season, finishing her season total with two. The game was pretty even in scoring chances however, as Williams narrowly led the game in shots 19-18. Tufts led in shots on goal, 10-7, but the key difference in the game was the Williams goalkeeper, Leyla Kamshad, who made 10 saves as opposed to
Hayley Bernstein's seven.
The lone Ephs home loss of the year came at the hands of Hamilton College on September 6, which came in their first home match of the season, making them 6-0 since. They are averaging 1.4 goals per game scored at home while allowing just 0.29 (only two total on the season). Tufts is averaging 2.4 goals per game on the road, scoring 17 total in their seven road games.
The Jumbos are led by senior midfielder and captain
Maddie Pero, junior midfielder
Thalia Greenberg, and junior forward
Erin Duncan. Pero has been the heart and soul of the team, scoring four goals and tallying one assist on the season. She also led the team in shots attempted with 39, and was fourth on the team in points with nine. Greenberg was the leading scorer and point leader for the Jumbos, as she tallied seven goals on the season in addition to one assist, and totaled 15 points. Duncan followed close behind, as she scored six goals and tallied 12 points. The three will look to lead their Jumbos offense past the Ephs iron wall defense.
The Ephs are led by senior forward Tess Belnap, junior forward Claire Tolliver, and junior midfielder Jaquelin Nordoff. Belnap tied for the team lead in points with six, and led in shots attempted with 39. She also tallied two goals and two assists, which were good enough for second and third on the team, respectively. Tolliver led the Ephs in goals with three, and also tallied six points, tied with Belnap for the team lead. She scored the game winner for the Ephs in their season finale against Middlebury on October 25th. Jaquelin Nordoff was the assists leader for the Ephs, as she tallied five, and was second in minutes played with 1238. Her five assists accounted for 42% of the total team assists on the season.
Additionally, the goalkeepers for both sides are a huge part of their team identities. The Williams goalkeeping tandem of Leyla Kamshad and Margaret Huelin have combined for a .877 save percentage. Kamshad (6-2-1) has started 11 games and made 35 total saves for a percentage of .875. She also received the player of the week award for the week of September 19th, after her 10 save shutout against the Jumbos. Huelin (4-1-1) has started four games and has made 15 saves for a percentage of .882.
Conversely, the Tufts senior goalkeeping tandem of
Hayley Bernstein and
Kaelin Logue have combined for a save percentage of .796. Bernstein (4-3-1) has started nine games and played 630 minutes, allowing five goals in 22 shots, good for a save percentage of .773. Logue has started six games and played 585 minutes, allowing five goals in 37 shots, giving her a save percentage of .865.
TUFTS VS. WILLIAMS SERIES
Series Record (since 2009): 15-1-1
Last Tufts Win: September 11, 2021, 1-0 in Medford
Last Williams Win: September 18, 2022, 1-0 in Williamstown
Current Streak: Williams, 1
Largest Margins (since 2009): Tufts, 1-0, 2021; Williams, 3-0, 2017
