WALTHAM, MA (November 15, 2025) -- The No. 1 ranked Tufts University men's soccer team scored three first-half goals, following that up with two second-half strikes to roll past Penn State Harrisburg 5-0 in the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament First Round at Gordon Field on the campus of Brandeis University.
The Jumbos (15-1-3) will now take on host Brandeis University Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the NCAA Second Round, as the Judges topped Stevens 2-1 in the second contest of the day. Saturday's win also put the Jumbos into the NCAA Second Round for the 11th straight season, going all the way back to the 2013 season.
Tufts got on the board from a familiar spot in the opening frame, as
Daniel Yanez finished his fifth penalty kick of the season after
Mateo Bargagna was taken down in the box to make it 1-0 in the 22nd minute of the contest.
Just over two minutes later, junior defender
Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das scored his first of two games on Saturday in the 24th minute. Junior
Ben Brown launched a long throw from the right sideline right to the head of senior
Ben Pensky, who delivered a great header to the back post where Akhtarzandi-Das headed it home for his first goal of the season.
The junior would double his tally 17 minutes later in the 41st minute, as he deflected a cross from
Luke Randolph into the goal to up the Jumbos lead to 3-0 at the halftime intermission. Tufts outshot Penn State Harrisburg 11-3 in the first half.
The lead would swell to four early in the second half in the 53rd minute, as junior forward
Xavier Canfin netted his fifth of the season, finishing a tight-angled shot off of a
Ben Pensky rebound to the 4-0 edge.
With less than a minute to play, senior
Henry Perkins would find the goal ledger with a fantastic strike, as he volleyed in a blocked shot by
Will Nicholas for the fifth and final score of the day for the Jumbos.
Tufts posted a 23-7 edge in shots for the contest, including an 11-2 lead in shots on goal. The Jumbos also tallied a slight 5-4 corner kick advantage.
The two assists were a career high for Pensky, while Tufts keeper
Nikola Antic and classmate
Sammy Kao shared time in cage for the clean sheet. Antic made two stops, while Erik Rodriguez stopped six shots for the Lions in the loss.
Tufts and Brandeis will play each other for the first time since 2021, while the Jumbos and Judges last played in the NCAA Tournament back in 2017. Brandeis won that game 1-0 in the NCAA Quarterfinal round.
--JUMBOS--
