MEDFORD, MA (November 9, 2025) -- Junior
Reese Birch scored with under five minutes to play to send the 2025 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title game
to overtime, and Tufts got a big save in the penalty kick shootout by junior
Gigi Edwards to claim its second championship in program history in play from Bello Field Sunday. The game officially ended as a 1-1 draw with No. 10 and second-seed Williams College, with Tufts earning a 5-3 victory in penalties.
The second-half goal from Birch had been coming all period, as the Jumbos fired 15 shots on the Ephs in the half as Williams looked like a team that had played a tough, physical game with Middlebury College less than 24 hours prior in the second semifinal. Tufts would possess the ball for the majority of the second half, and had chance after chance just miss as Williams' keeper Margaret Huelin made four saves in the period.
In the 81st minute, Tufts had its best chance of the game to that point as Birch busted through off of a spilled cross and had a shot inside the six-yard box clang off the right post and out.
The goal finally came on the sixth corner of the game for the Jumbos, as
Anna Griffin played a ball into the box to
Audrey Cromett. The super-sub, who played with energy the entire time she was on the pitch, chested the ball down to Birch who hammered her shot under the cross bar for the score.
The pressure for the Jumbos continued into overtime, as Cromett nearly ended the contest in the 95th minute but her left-footed shot went wide left. That was the best chance of the overtime for either team, as the exhausted teams settled for spot kicks.
In the shootout, Tufts got goals from
Aoife O'Reilly and
Emily Nicholas that were answered by the Ephs to make it 2-2. Junior
Waverly Sumner tucked her penalty home on the third shooter, but Edwards would deny Maya Lloyd of Williams with a diving save in the third round to keep Tufts ahead.
Maren Jones and
Lena Sugrue would each score their attempts to clinch the victory and the first NESCAC women's soccer title since 2002.
Williams had taken the lead in the 21st minute, as Elizabeth Stophel fired a shot from the right wing up and over Edwards for her sixth of the season. That goal had followed a pair of great opportunities by Sumner and Birch for in the first eight minutes. Both teams had six shots apiece in the first half.
Tufts finished the contest with a 26-12 edge in shots including a 11-6 edge in shots on goal. Tufts also posted a 7-4 corner kick advantage for the day. Tufts was hosting the NESCAC semifinals and finals for the fourth time in program history and first time since 2019.
Edwards finished with five stops between the pipes for Tufts, while her counterpart Huelin added 10 stops for the Ephs. Birch and
Elsi Aires both had six shots for Tufts, while the four shots from Stophel were the most for Williams. Nicholas and Jones were dynamos in the midfield for Tufts, as Nicholas played all 110 minutes in the middle of the park.
The Jumbos (14-1-3) will now sit and wait to see where it will go in the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced on NCAA.com Monday at 11 a.m. with the Division III NCAA Women's Soccer Selection Show.
--JUMBOS--
