MIDDLEBURY, VT (November 22, 2025) -- The Tufts University women's soccer team kept its dream of its first NCAA title alive Saturday afternoon, as the No. 3 Jumbos dominated play in the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament Third Round against host Middlebury College, earning a 2-0 win over the Panthers in play from South Street Field.
With the victory, Tufts moved to 17-1-3 on the season while moving into the NCAA Quarterfinals Sunday where it will face off with the University of Mary Washington, who knocked off Penn State Harrisburg 2-1 in the second game of the day at Middlebury.
The Jumbos are making their fourth trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals in program history, as Tufts has advanced to the NCAA Semifinals each time they've reached this point.
It was one-way traffic for the Jumbos on Saturday against their New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foes, as Tufts outshot the Panthers 24-2 for the game while holding Middlebury (13-4-3) to no shots on goal in the contest.
Tufts wasted no time in putting the pressure on Middlebury, earning a pair of corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of the game. On the second corner kick of the contest, Tufts would find the game's opening strike on a well worked set piece. After the corner went short to
Aoife O'Reilly, she played the ball to the back post to
Lena Sugrue, where she one-touched the ball to junior
Emily Nicholas. Nicholas would fire a shot towards the left side of the goal, and first-year
Claire Brady was there to guide it over the line for the early 1-0 edge. For Brady, it was her fifth goal of the season.
The Jumbos would continue to press and had another solid attempt on goal in the 34th minute, but Sugrue's shot on goal was smothered by Middlebury keeper Livia Davidson.
The second half saw the Jumbos start to really push the tempo, taking 16 shot attempts in the final 45 minutes. Tufts looked like it had doubled its edge in the 65th minute, but a shot from junior
Maggie Rogers was cleared off the line by a Panther defender and out. This came moments after a diving save by Davidson on an
Elsi Aires shot.
The breakthrough would finally come in the 74th minute, as a pair of sophomores connected on a beautiful strike for the insurance goal.
Maren Jones would smother a beautiful service into the box by
Anna Griffin, playing it off to
Audrey Cromett who hammered a shot into the left corner to double the lead to 2-0.
That was plenty of offense, as the Jumbos picked up yet another shutout, their third of the NCAA Tournament and 12th of the season. The shutout for
Gigi Edwards was her 10th of the season, tying the school record for clean sheets in a season. It was also her 20th of her career, becoming only the fourth player in Tufts history with 20 or more shutouts.
Aires took a team-high nine shots for the Jumbos, four going on frame, while Brady also fired five shots.
Davidson made nine saves in goal for the Panthers.
Sunday's kick-off with the Eagles Sunday in the NCAA Quarterfinals will be at 1 p.m. at Middlebury's South Street Field.
--JUMBOS--
