No. 8 Women's Soccer Opens NESCAC Playoffs Hosting Hamilton

MEDFORD, MA (October 31, 2024) - The number eight ranked Tufts University women's soccer team will look to carry their strong finish to the regular season into the postseason as they host the Hamilton College Continentals in a New England Small College Athletic Conference quarterfinal game on Saturday at Bello Field. The Jumbos enter the playoffs with 12 wins under their belt, with eight of them coming consecutively to close out the regular season. A solid 2-0 win at Bowdoin secured the second seed in the NESCAC tournament for Tufts, while Hamilton fell to Trinity College (Conn.) 1-0 to close out their regular season campaign.

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Hamilton College (6-6-3, 2-5-3 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.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

Continentals vs. Jumbos Series
The Jumbos are 7-3-6 against the Continentals all-time, with the last three meetings between the two sides all ending in a draw. This season saw the two teams play to a 2-2 draw in a dramatic conference match on September 21. Sophomore midfielder Emily Nicholas opened the scoring thanks to an assist from junior forward Elsi Aires, but Isabel Harvey evened the score with a goal 10 minutes later. Nicholas scored again in the 29th minute to give the Jumbos the lead at halftime. A desperate Hamilton side was able to find the tying goal in the 59th minute thanks to Olivia Zubarik, and they held on to finish with a 2-2 draw. 

A Look at the Jumbos (12-2-1, 7-2-1 NESCAC)
The Jumbos enter the postseason following one of their most successful regular seasons in program history. Their seven conference wins is the most since the 2019 season, and the 48 goals they have scored so far this season has already set a new program record for goals scored in a single season. The Jumbos enter the postseason as the highest scoring team in the NESCAC, with their 3.20 goals per game average topping the league by nearly a 0.5 margin. They score often, and love to score early. The Jumbos have notched the first goal 13 times this season, and hold a record of 11-1-1 when scoring first. The one tie after scoring first came in the 2-2 draw at Hamilton. They have scored in the first 10 minutes of the game eight times so far this season, and hold a 6-1-1 record when they do so. 

The Jumbos offense is high-flying, with a number of players who can score. Junior Elsi Aires leads the team in virtually every offensive category, including goals, assists, shots, shots on goal and game winning goals. Her nine goals leads the entirety of the NESCAC, and her five assists place her in fifth place in the conference. Aires has two game winners under her belt, including a goal to open the scoring in the regular season finale at Bowdoin. Her highlight of the season came at Amherst College, when she fired a ranged effort past the Mammoths goalkeeper to take a 2-1 lead in the final minute of play. Aires has dished the ball out with effect as well, picking up five assists so far this season.

Joining Aires in the high-powered Tufts offense is graduate student Nicola Sommers. Sommers' seven scores have her tied for seventh place in the NESCAC, while her four assists sit tied with teammates Caroline Kelly and Emily Nicholas for 14th most in the conference. Sommers closed out the regular season by playing some of the best soccer of her career, evidenced by her six game point streak at the end of the campaign. Over that stretch Sommers picked up six goals and two assists, a key piece of the Jumbos success at the end of the regular season.

The Jumbos also boast one of the most effective midfields in the country, with Emily Nicholas, Caroline Kelly and Reese Birch all proving to be dynamic two-way threats. Kelly has scored six goals already this season, including a fantastic free kick goal against MIT. She sits ninth in the NESCAC in goal scoring with six goals, and her four assists are tied with Sommers and Nicholas in 14th. Nicholas has had a strong showing this season, scoring four goals and adding four assists, which includes a two goal game at Hamilton. Birch has also made a significant impact, scoring four times herself and tallying three assists, including a two goal game versus Bridgewater State.

Defensively, the Jumbos have allowed only 12 goals this season, and have only allowed opponents to score multiple goals three times this season. The defense, led by center backs Lena Sugrue and Caroline O'Neill, really limits chances for the opposition. Through the regular season, the Jumbos let up an average of 9.7 shots per game. Of the 146 shots they allowed this season, only 65 of them landed on target. The play at fullback has been strong as well, with Jordan Cushner and Rachel Arcella both proving they can contribute both ways. Arcella totalled two goals, while Cushner added an assist this season. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Gigi Edwards has anchored the back line for the Jumbos all season, making every start but one for the team this season. Her .877 goals against average is fifth best in the NESCAC. Her save percentage of .813 on 52 saves is sixth best in the conference, but may be slightly decreased by the fact that Tufts allows a below-average number of shots.

The Jumbos will look to hit the ground running and score early, as they have seen much success from that strategy already this season. Their one draw of the season came against these very same Continentals, so defense will be an area of focus for the Jumbos as well, as Hamilton was one of only three teams to score multiple goals on the Jumbos.

For head coach Martha Whiting, she enters the postseason in search of her second NESCAC Championship, and her first since 2002. 

A Look at the Continentals (6-6-3, 2-5-3 NESCAC)
The Hamilton College Continentals enter postseason play as the seventh seed in the NESCAC. They started the season with a 1-1-1 record through three games, but turned things around quickly. A four game unbeaten stretch at the middle of the season left them in good position, but a 1-3-1 record in their final five games saw them fall to seventh place in the conference.

Hamilton is a sound side that can score often. They posted 36 goals through the regular season, good for a 2.40 goals per game average. Their numbers may be slightly inflated due to an 8-1 win versus Mount Saint Mary and an 8-0 shutout over SUNY Morrisville.

Defensively, the Continentals have allowed 17 goals so far this season. A goals against average of 1.13 is largely due to them allowing 14.9 shots against per game on average, forcing a total of 98 saves out of the Hamilton goalkeeping corps. They rank seventh in the NESCAC in goals allowed, and their goal differential of 19 has them seventh in the conference as well.

Goalkeeper Nieve Tonna has seen the lion's share of minutes for the Continentals, including a 90 minute performance in the regular season finale against Trinity. Olivia Connolly was the goalkeeper in their 2-2 draw with Tufts, but has not played since October 20. Tonna sits third in the NESCAC in total saves with 64, and holds the third best save percentage in the conference with a 0.865.

Head coach Colette Gilligan is in search of her first trip to the NESCAC Championship game as the Continentals look to secure their first conference title in the NESCAC.

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