MEDFORD, MA (October 28, 2025) -- Senior
Elsi Aires and junior
Reese Birch each scored twice Tuesday night, leading the No. 3 Tufts University women's soccer team to an emphatic 6-0 home victory over Bowdoin College in the regular season finale for both teams. Also with the victory, Tufts clinched the top seed in the upcoming New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament, finishing the regular campaign with a 12-1-2 overall record, going 7-1-2 in the NESCAC.
The Jumbos will host the No. 8 seed Saturday in the NESCAC Quarterfinal on Bello Field at a time to be determined.
As for Tuesday evening's game, the Jumbos were in charge from the opening whistle, handing the Polar Bears their largest defeat in the series between the two teams dating back to 1978. Tufts would score the game's opening goal just 4:06 into the game, as sophomore center back
Phoebe Marsick played a perfect through ball for Birch, who tucked home her shot for the early lead.
The goals continued to come for the hosts, as Aires netted her first of the night in the 22nd minute, converting a one-on-one with the Polar Bear keeper with help from junior
Emily Nicholas to make it 2-0. Just 28 seconds later, Tufts won back the ball from Bowdoin off the kick-off, and junior
Waverly Sumner struck off a great pass from Birch for her first of the season to up the Jumbos edge to 3-0 at the half.
After intermission, Aires doubled her count on the evening with a beautifully worked goal, as she took a one-touch, back-heel pass from Sumner off of a
Claire Brady cross and fired it home to increase the Jumbos' edge to 4-0 in the 55th minute.
A little over two minutes later, Birch bagged her second of the night on a great individually effort, tight walking the goal line before pushing a right-footed shot through the Bowdoin keeper and in for a 5-0 edge in the 57th minute.
The Jumbos continued to push offensively, nearly scoring twice more in the 64th minute and 67th minute before adding another in the 75th minute to make it 6-0. On the play, first-year
Jordyn Miller raced toward the end line and fired a low cross towards the near post where senior
Camille Lu clipped the cross slowly over the goal line to finish the game's scoring.
Sophomore
Maren Jones nearly made it 7-0 with minutes to go, but Polar Bears' reserve goalkeeper Ilana Posner made a sprawling save to keep the game where it was but the six goals were plenty for a Tufts defense that posted another shutout Tuesday.
The clean sheet recorded by junior goalkeeper
Gigi Edwards was third straight and seventh of the season, upping her career mark to 17. She now is tied with Meg McCourt '04 and is just two behind head coach
Martha Whiting '92 for fourth on the list with 19.
With the two goals, Aires upped her career goals mark to 39 and needs just one more to become just the second player in program history with 40 career goals, trailing only Lisa Raffin '83 and her 51. Aires also now has 92 career points, which is three behind Liz Reed '21 for second place all-time.
Tufts has now won the last three meetings against Bowdoin, outscoring the Polar Bears 11-2 over that span. The 6-0 win over Bowdoin was the largest NESCAC win for Tufts since defeating Trinity College 6-0 last year on October 5, 2024.
Edwards stopped one shot in the win for Tufts, which outshot Bowdoin 17-1 on the night while earning a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
Bowdoin got five stops from starting keeper Charlotte Iannone, while Mary Rainey had the lone shot for the Polar Bears.
Tufts will be the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2019 and only the fifth time since the NESCAC started a postseason tournament in 2001.
--JUMBOS--
