Tufts Women's Soccer Defeats Hamilton 1-0 in NESCAC Quarterfinals

MEDFORD, MA (November 2, 2024) - The number eight ranked Tufts University women's soccer team began their 2024 postseason with a 1-0 win versus the Hamilton College Continentals in the New England Small College Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday morning at Bello Field.

The Jumbos (13-2-1, 8-2-1 NESCAC) started the game in their signature manner, immediately wrestling possession away from the Continentals (6-7-3, 2-6-3 NESCAC). The Jumbos needed only two minutes to tally their first shot, a low-driven effort from a tight angle from graduate student Nicola Sommers.

Sommers was joined by junior Elsi Aires and sophomore Waverly Sumner on the front line of the Jumbos offense, and the trio of forwards made life difficult for the visiting side throughout the opening frame. Sumner and Sommers owned the wings, while Aires patrolled the middle. When coupled with the midfield of Reese Birch, Caroline Kelly and Emily Nicholas, the Jumbos were able to completely pin the Continentals in their own end. 

By halftime, the Jumbos would attempt 20 shots, with five of them landing on target. Rock solid defending by center backs Lena Sugrue and Caroline O'Neill held Hamilton to only six shots, with three of them landing on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Gigi Edwards made all three stops on the trio of shots on goal, looking comfortable and controlled from between the posts. 

The leading scorer for the Jumbos in the regular season would open her postseason campaign with a first half goal. Aires made a fantastic run in behind the Continentals defense, and a perfectly weighted through ball from Sommers took four defenders out of the play and freed up Aires to go in on goal. Aires was left with little work to do, as she coolly beat the opposing goalkeeper with a shot into the lower right corner. Her ninth goal of the season put the Jumbos up by a goal going into halftime.

The second half began with a rejuvenated Hamilton side scrambling for an equalizer. They began to put pressure on the wings, but the Jumbos fullbacks, Jordan Cushner and Anna Griffin were able to bend without breaking to defuse the visitors' comeback attempts. In the second half, the Jumbos would limit their opponents to only five shot attempts, with four of those landing on target. The Jumbos, meanwhile, stacked eight shots on the Continentals in search of their second goal.

While the Jumbos would come close, most notably a chance from Kelly that was deflected by a defender off the post, they would not find a second goal. The desperation from their opponents gradually increased, as they continued to look for an equalizer to save their season. The defense was having none of it, as they repeatedly repelled the bids to score by the Continentals. Edwards would make four saves in the second half, including a fantastic diving save on a shot that snuck through traffic and would have ended up in the bottom right corner were it not for Edward's parry. Substitutes Audrey Cromett, Aoife O'Reilly and Erin Duncan added some much needed freshness to a hard-working Tufts squad. Their efforts down the stretch would not only help keep Hamilton in their own end, but would also generate a few scoring chances of their own. O'Reilly and Cromett linked up well in the attacking third, but the freshman forward was unable to score her second goal of the season.

The final whistle blew, and the Jumbos were the victors by a one goal margin, and earned a spot in the NESCAC semifinals next weekend. The Jumbos held on to win their ninth game in a row, and 13th of the 2024 season.

They will play next weekend in the NESCAC semifinals, hosted by Wesleyan in Middletown, Connecticut on Saturday at either 11:00 AM or 1:30 PM, looking to advance to the NESCAC Finals for the first time since 2017.