MEDFORD, MA (September 19, 2025) -- The Tufts University football team will get to lace up the cleats for the first time in front of a home crowd on Saturday evening, hosting Wesleyan University inside Ellis Oval under the lights in Week 2 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play. Tufts is fresh off a season-opening victory in Brunswick, Maine, knocking off Bowdoin College 13-0 for their third shutout in three seasons and first road blanking since 2018.
In that win, Tufts posted drives of eight or more plays in each of its first five drives through the third quarter while holding Bowdoin to under 200 yards of total offense in the win. Tufts forced two turnovers, including a game-clinching interception by
Vince Gilchrist, while also allowing only 101 passing yards on the afternoon. Senior
Chartellis Reece scored the team's lone touchdown with a seven-yard score in the opening frame, while senior
Vaughn Seelicke nailed two field goals to up his school-record count to 29 made.
Christian Shapiro also rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries in the opening game of the year. Saturday's game one of two NESCAC games with a 1-0 record, as Colby and Williams square off as well after victories last week.
Game Details
Opponent: vs. Wesleyan University (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts –
Ellis Oval -
Directions
Weather: Sunny, Low 70s, Chance of Rain: 0%, Wind: NW 5-0 MPH
Live Coverage:
LIVE STATS –
LIVE VIDEO
Cardinals vs. Jumbos All-Time
These two schools have a long and storied rivalry against one another, as the two squads have met 54 times before Saturday's tilt in Somerville. In a very even series, Wesleyan holds a slight 27-25-2 edge in the all-time series dating back to the first meeting in 1892. Wesleyan has won seven of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2016, but the Jumbos won the last game played in Somerville in 2024, 49-14. Last season, Tufts was topped by the Cardinals in Middletown 20-9. When the game has been played in Massachusetts, Tufts is 14-9-1 all-time while the last four wins by the Jumbos in the series have been at home.
A Look At The Jumbos (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC)
The Tufts football team is looking to up its win streak to seven games this weekend, having finished the 2024 season with five victories in addition to last Saturday's win at Bowdoin. The Jumbos shutout on was their first since a 25-0 home win over Amherst College last season, while it marked the third shutout in the last three seasons which also includes a 38-0 win over Colby back in 2023.
Looking at the offense, the Jumbos come into the weekend with the league's second-ranked offensive unit in terms of total yardage, posting 318 yards against Bowdoin last weekend. The Jumbos rushed for 149 yards last week, third-most in then conference, while its 169 yards through the air was fifth during Week 1. The Jumbos passing defense was second as well in the opening weekend, allowing just 101 yards passing to Bowdoin. The same defensive unit allowed just eight first downs last week, fewest of any NESCAC squad thus far, while its third-down defense was fourth-best allowing just 22.2 percent success against the Polar Bears. On the other side, Tufts had the league's best third-down percentage with a 53.3 percent conversion rate.
Individually,
Christian Shapiro ranks second in the conference in rushing after posting 84 yards in the first contest of the season. Junior
Justin Keller was 11th through the opening week with 35 yards rushing, while sophomore quarterback also added 22 yards on the ground on two carries. Keller also added 143 yards passing for the Jumbos on 12 completions, while
Matt Rios led Tufts with 51 yards receiving on four catches. Graduate student
Henry Fleckner also posted 35 yards receiving on two receptions. The Tufts offensive line, a group consisting of three new starters, played very well anchored by returning starters
Jack Lynch and Bradley Abbott.
Defensively,
Johnny Ferrelli continued his strong career with a fantastic opening game at Bowdoin with six tackles and a half-sack, while
Riley Yaker and
Jeff Xu each had strong games at linebacker as well for the Jumbos. Senior
Suleiman Abuaqel finished the day with 1.5 sacks for Tufts, while
Nate Sousa and
Vince Gilchrist each had interceptions. The Jumbos defense was only needed for 39 plays on Saturday, by far the fewest in the NESCAC with the next fewest being Hamilton with 52 plays. Tufts' 65 plays offensively ranked second in Week 1.
The Jumbos returned both of their specialists, as
Vaughn Seelicke nailed two field games and added an extra point, and junior
Andrew Leigh added three punts for 103 yards (34.3 Avg.) with one inside the 20.
Caden Lawlor also added two touchbacks on his four kickoffs against Bowdoin. Seelicke is now third all-time in scoring at Tufts with 180 points, behind only Chance Brady '17 with 210 points and Fred "Fish" Ellis '29 and his 181 points.
Head coach
Jay Civetti is in his 15th year at Tufts, as his record is slightly over .500 at 57-55 coming into this weekend. The Jumbos though have won six or more game in each of the last three seasons.
A Look At The Cardinals (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC)
After falling behind 3-0 early last weekend, the Wesleyan football team put up 24 unanswered points between the second and third quarters before closing the door late in a 31-17 season-opening win over Middlebury. Wesleyan earned their third straight win over the Panthers and are 1-0 for the seventh straight season.
In his first extended run as the Cardinals' quarterback, Matt Fitzsimons showed well as the junior finished 15-for-22 for 204 yards and 2 TD with no interceptions. He also rushed for 28 yards on six carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Matt Diaz had 43 yards rushing in the opening game for the Cardinals, while Tyler Flynn also had seven carries for 18 yards.
His main target all afternoon was Kelly who shined in his collegiate debut, finishing with seven catches for 118 yards and 1 TD. He also returned a kickoff for 34 yards in the second half as Kelly's speed was a major weapon that the Middlebury defense had no answer for. Wesleyan's defense held an experienced group of Middlebury playmakers to under 300 yards of total offense including just 28 rushing yards on 24 carries in the contest. Austin Baker had nine tackles on the day for Wesleyan, while Mike Solimando added eight stops and a pass break-up. Both AJ Morris and Tony Contaldi chalked up a interception as well.
Gage Hammond was 1-of-1 on his field goal attempts last week, while adding five punts for 36.2 yards per attempt and one inside the 20. Last week Wesleyan was 6-for-13 on third downs, while holding Middlebury to just three successful third down conversions on 13 attempts.
Last year's NESCAC title winners have won their last seven games dating back to Week 3 of last season, when Wesleyan loss its only game of the 2024 season with a 24-13 loss to Bates at home. Head coach Dan DiCenzo is in his 11th year at Wesleyan, going 57-23 during his tenure with Cardinals.
NESCAC Week 2 Schedule
Hamilton at Amherst (1 pm)
Colby at Williams (1 pm)
Bates at Trinity (1 pm)
Bowdoin at Middlebury (1 pm)
Wesleyan at Tufts (7 pm)
--JUMBOS--
