MEDFORD, MA (October 26, 2023) -- The Tufts University men's soccer team finished the regular season with a sturdy 10-2-3 record on the season, going 6-2-2- in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), and will be the No. 4 seed in the 2023 NESCAC Tournament when it kicks off on Saturday. Tufts will host a quarterfinal match-up with Bowdoin College, after the Jumbos defeated Bowdoin 1-0 Tuesday up in Brunswick, Maine thanks to a
Sean Traynor second-half goal.
Game Details
2023 NESCAC Tournament Homepage
Opponent: vs. Bowdoin College (9-2-4, 5-2-3 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Medford, MA – Bello Field (
Directions)
Weather: Sunny, Low 80s, Chance of Rain: 5%, Wind: NW 5-10
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Polar Bears vs. Jumbos All-Time
Going back to 1971, the Jumbos and Polar Bears are an even 24-24-10 against each other in one of the tightest series in either program's history. The longest streak for either team in the series is four games, while Tufts is 9-13-6 at home in that span. The Jumbos have held a solid advantage over Bowdoin over the last few seasons, as Tufts is 4-0-3 against the Polar Bears since 2017. In NESCAC Tournament play, Tufts is 2-2-1 against Bowdoin College with the last meeting in the NESCAC playoffs coming in 2021 when the Jumbos knocked off Bowdoin 3-0. In all five previous tournament meetings, the two teams met for consecutive contests within four days of each other.
A Look At The Jumbos
Tufts comes into the game winners in four of its last five while posting a 6-1-1 record on Bello Field in 2023. The Jumbos currently sit ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Region 1 rankings released on Wednesday, and have lost just once since September 17. The Jumbos have the fifth-best scoring average in the NESCAC, posting 2.2 goals per game while its scoring margin of 1.40 is also fifth-best in the league.
The Jumbos are second in the conference in shot attempts in 2023 with 257, while earning 91 corners on the season which ranks third in the league. The team leads the conference with 16 goal scorers on the year, while
Ethan Feigin,
Sean Traynor and
Mikey Brady each have four goals on the campaign to lead the way. Traynor and Feigin each have four helpers as well, while
Taylor Feinberg and
Ben Verner have tallied three times apiece.
Defensively, the backline which is anchored by
Gibson Campbell,
Max Clivio and Feinberg have allowed only 12 goals on the season in front of sophomore keeper
Nikola Antic. Antic ranks in the top five in the NESCAC in goals against average, saves and shutouts, as Antic has helped the Jumbos keep eight clean sheets on the season.
The Jumbos will be looking for their first NESCAC Tournament win since 2021, when the Jumbos defeated Bowdoin in the quarterfinals before knocking off Middlebury College and Connecticut College en route to the NESCAC title. Head coach
Kyle Dezotell comes into the weekend with a 33-7-14 record at Tufts, while currently posting a 218-113-47 mark in his 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
A Look At The Polar Bears
The Polar Bears have had a strong season in 2023, posting nine wins while going 4-0-3 on the road this year. The Polar Bears have scored the most goals of any NESCAC squad in 2023, posting 44 goals to go with a NESCAC-best 2.26 scoring margin. Bowdoin has fired the most shots of any team in the league, while their 8.20 shots on goal per game also tops the conference ledger.
Bowdoin boasts the league's leading scorer in Felipe Duran, who has posted nine goals along with his NESCAC-high 47 shot attempts. Tyler Huck has also posted eight strikes on the season, which is tied for secon in the conference, while Duran is also third in the NESCAC in assists with six. Mateo Pacelli has 11 points on the year with four goals and three assists, and Kamar Burris-Khan has tallied four times as well. Ronaldo Cabral has tallied three times, and Julian Juantorena and Alden Mehta each have three goals this season as well.
Defensively, Alex Ainsworth has started all but one game for the Polar Bears, as he has a 0.76 goals against average to go with four shutouts. Ainsworth is fifth in the NESCAC in saves percentage, stopping over 80 percent of attempts on goal. Bowdoin has won the NESCAC title twice before, winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.
Head coach Scott Wiercinski is in his 10th season at Bowdoin, where he has posted a 94-42-36 record on the sidelines of the Polar Bears. He is 152-89-56 all-time as a head coach, as he spent seven seasons on the sidelines as the head coach at the University of Chicago.
--JUMBOS--
