No. 2 Jumbos Advance to NCAA Second Round with 2-1 Win Over Owls

MEDFORD, MA (November 16, 2024) - The number two ranked Tufts University men's soccer team began their 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship tournament with an exciting 2-1 win over the Westfield State University Owls at Bello Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Jumbos (12-0-5, 7-0-3 NESCAC) were fresh off of nearly two weeks of rest, and they showed it in the first half. The Jumbos looked relaxed on the ball, and were connecting passes with ease. Their speed was apparent, but the Owls (9-7-5, 4-1-2 MASCAC) defense was clearly ready for the speed. They were sitting back, letting the Jumbos come deep into their territory, before attempting to launch their counter attack with a long ball over the top. This duet continued through most of the first half, although the Jumbos pushed deeper and deeper into the Owls half as they continued to break down the visiting defense. 

Despite their positive advances, Westfield goalkeeper Luke Theroux proved to be an excellent final line of defense, as he made six saves in the opening half, including a very difficult save diving to his right. The Jumbos decided to up the volume of their shooting, but they couldn't get past Theroux even with 13 shot attempts. 

Junior Henry Perkins had the best chance for the Jumbos in the opening frame, after Ethan Jett fed the ball to him in front of goal. Perkins had virtually no time to line up a shot, and the pass was just in front of him, forcing him into a lunging shot. The defenders, also lunging towards the dangerous cross, forced Perkins to shoot the ball high, and a lucky deflection helped the ball go up above the cross bar. Perkins was in disbelief, but the game kept rolling. The Jumbos knew they would have their chance.

The second half opened with the Owls flying to every ball. The Jumbos were not caught off guard, adjusting Max Clivio and Taylor Feinberg in the center of the defense, but a tough play would fall the way of the Owls. After an attempted pass back to the goalie, Nikola Antic, was intercepted by a tenacious forward Coleby Andrade. The speedy forward cut past Antic, and grooved the ball into the open net to give Westfield a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute. 

The Jumbos snapped back to action, instantly seeking out an equalizer. Perkins and fellow forward Xavier Canfin were making the deepest advances behind the Owls defense. In the 70th minute the Jumbos finally found their equalizer, as Perkins played it to substitute forward Will Nicholas. Nicholas cut to his right to open up a shooting lane before firing a shot past Theroux into the bottom right of the goal. The game had been tied, and a relief washed over Bello Field as the Jumbos were back to a level playing field.

Except it was anything but level, as the Jumbos continued to pour pressure all over the Owls. Canfin had an attempt go just wide, before being denied at the post by Theroux. The subsequent corner kick was taken by graduate student midfielder Liam Gerken. The team captain delivered a beautiful cross to the back post, which found Bargagna wide open. After settling the ball, the powerful defender unleashed an incredibly struck shot. Theroux was left powerless as the ball scorched into the back of the net, giving the Jumbos the lead.

The Jumbos were rolling now, and every cylinder of the 11 man engine was firing at full strength. They continued to search for an insurance goal, coming as close as a Gerken shot that rattled the crossbar, but could not find a third.

The Jumbos hit full time as the winners, and advanced to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship tournament, a 5:00 pm game at Bello Field against the Buffalo State University Bengals. This is the tenth tournament in a row that the Jumbos will participate in the second round.