Top Seeded Tufts Hosts Bowdoin in NESCAC Quarterfinal

MEDFORD, MA (October 31, 2024) - The number two ranked Tufts University men's soccer team will play in a New England Small College Athletic Conference Quarterfinal game for their first playoff game of the 2024 postseason at Bello Field on Saturday versus Bowdoin College. The Jumbos enter the playoffs after an unbeaten regular season, where they earned a record of 11-0-4 in overall play. A 2-2 draw against the Bowdoin Polar Bears concluded the regular season and secured the top seed in the NESCAC tournament for Tufts. The Polar Bears enter the tournament as the eight seed after finishing with a 7-4-4 record overall. Tufts won seven of their 10 conference games this season, including a 3-0-2 finish to the second half of conference play. Bowdoin meanwhile played to a 1-2-2 record in their final five conference games.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Bowdoin College (7-4-4, 2-4-4 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Medford, Mass. – Bello Field
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Low 50s, Chance of Rain: 2%, Wind: NNW 10-15 MPH
Live Coverage: LIVE STATS – LIVE VIDEO

Polar Bears vs. Jumbos Series
The Jumbos are 17-14-8 against the Polar Bears since 1990, and have not been beaten by them since October 29, 2016. The Jumbos are 5-1-4 in their last 10 meetings, including Tuesday's 2-2 draw. The Jumbos have put up 1.6 goals per game in their last 10 games against the Polar Bears, while allowing only 1.0 goals against per game. In Tuesday's 2-2 draw, Bowdoin opened the scoring thanks to a strike from Mateo Pacelli. The Jumbos immediately responded with a blue collar goal from Henry Perkins for his fourth score of the season, and even took a lead thanks to Ethan Jett's first career goal. A late score from Luke Macaione off of a corner kick tied the game in the 89th minute. The draw saw Tufts earn just their second unbeaten regular season, and best regular season record since 2018.

A Look at the Jumbos (11-0-4, 7-0-3 NESCAC)
The Jumbos are the number one seed in the NESCAC tournament this season for the first time since 2018. Their team goals against average of 0.4 is tied for fourth best in the country, with their team save percentage of 0.891 good for second best in Division III.

The Jumbos offense has tacked 30 goals onto the scoreboard this season, good to tie for third most in the NESCAC. Their six goals against is tied for fewest in the NESCAC with Middlebury. Their +24 goal differential is second best in the conference and just one point below their margin from last season. Graduate student Liam Gerken leads the league in assists with eight, a career high for him, and his five additional goals scored is the highest mark on the team. The Jumbos possess plenty of scoring depth, with sophomore Xavier Canfin scoring five times and junior Henry Perkins scoring four times. Gerken and Canfin each have two game-winning goals this season, with Gerken opening the season with a score in a 1-0 win at MIT and burying the winner versus Salem State. Canfin scored a dramatic game-winner at Williams to win 2-1, and scored the winner in a 4-1 win at Hamilton. Perkins lone game-winner was a massive score to put the Jumbos up by a goal in a 1-0 win at Amherst College. The Jumbos also received contributions from senior Ethan Feigin and sophomore Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das, with both players scoring three goals on the season. Two of Feigin's three scores were game winners.

Defensively, the Jumbos are rock solid. Led by center backs senior Taylor Feinberg and graduate student Max Clivio, the Jumbos are tied in allowing the fewest goals in the NESCAC. While their defense has been superb, they have found ways to contribute on offense as well. Feinberg scored against Wesleyan and Bates while tallying two assists at Husson, and Clivio tallied a pair of assists on the season as well.

Junior goalkeeper Nikola Antic proved to be one of the best shot stoppers in the conference this season, holding the lowest goals against average and highest save percentage in the NESCAC. Antic earned seven shutouts this season, tied for third most in the league this season, and has shown off his distribution skills many times this season.

The Jumbos will look to command possession from kick off, and will likely push to score first, as they are a perfect 11-0 when scoring first. They have proven to be more than resilient this season, as even when conceding first, they are 0-0-2 with both games ending with a late goal to tie it. 

Head coach Kyle Dezotell looks to claim his second NESCAC Championship and first since 2021 for the Jumbos as they begin postseason play on Saturday.

A Look at the Polar Bears (7-4-4, 2-4-4 NESCAC)
The Bowdoin College Polar Bears had a hot start to their season, winning four of their first five games, but then ran into a difficult middle of the season, where they went four straight games without a win. They have stabilized in the later portions of the season, but ended the regular conference slate with a loss to Amherst College and a tie at Tufts.

Offensively, the Polar Bears can threaten their opposition. They have scored 32 goals this season, and have only failed to score in three of their games. Forward Tyler Huck was one of the most productive goalscorers in the conference this season, scoring eight goals for second most in the NESCA, including three game-winners. Mateo Paceli scored four goals so far in the 2024 campaign for second best on the Polar Bears, including the opening goal in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Tufts.

The Polar Bears have conceded 18 goals this season, or 1.20 per game. Their eighth best goals against average matches their eight seed going into Saturday's quarterfinal game. They are not afraid to pull the trigger and shoot the ball, however, as their 102 shots on goal are good for fourth most in the NESCAC.

Goalkeeper Alex Ainsworth is steady at the back, but allowed all 18 of the Polar Bears goals against. His 0.617 save percentage is 10th best in the NESCAC, and his 1.301 goals against average puts him at ninth best in the conference for that metric.

The Polar Bears enter Saturday's game in search of their first NESCAC title since 2015, and their third overall. They will look to score early and often in the rematch of last year's quarterfinals game, where the Jumbos bested the Polar Bears in a 2-1 contest.

Head coach Scott Wiercinski, in his twelfth season with Bowdoin men's soccer, is looking to win his third NESCAC title and improve his 101-47-40 record with the Polar Bears.

NESCAC Quarterfinals Schedule
No. 8 Bowdoin at No. 1 Tufts (Saturday, 2:00 PM)
No. 7 Hamilton at No. 2 Middlebury (Saturday, 12:30 PM)
No. 6 Connecticut College at No. 3 Amherst (Saturday, 12:30 PM)
No. 5 Wesleyan at No. 4 Williams (Saturday, 11:00 AM)