Women's Soccer Battles With Wesleyan to Scoreless Draw

MEDFORD, MA (September 27, 2025) - The unstoppable force of the Tufts University women's soccer team's defense clashed with the immovable object of the Wesleyan University Cardinals' defense in a thrilling New England Small College Athletic Conference match on Saturday afternoon.

The Jumbos (6-0-1, 4-0-1 NESCAC) started the match with their best possession play of the season. Their tempo was simply electrifying, right from the starting whistle. The Cardinals (5-0-3, 1-0-3 NESCAC) had to contend with the dynamic hydra in the Tufts midfield as juniors Reese Birch and Emily Nicholas combined with senior Caroline Kelly to completely dominate the center of the pitch in the opening phase.

The Jumbos were able to mount considerable pressure upon the Wesleyan back line, with Caroline Kelly taking two early corner kicks in the opening 10 minutes, but Tufts would fail to convert the chances.

Tufts senior forward Elsi Aires was making a nightmare of herself for the Cardinals defense, switching between holding up the ball and sprinting in behind the visiting back line. Aires functioned as the tip of the spear, allowing wingers Waverly Sumner and Jordyn Miller to fill in the spaces behind. Coupled with the suffocating play from the midfield, the Jumbos would outshoot the Cardinals 5-4 in the first half.

The Jumbos were unable to put one past the opposing goalkeeper Molly Brumbauch through the first half, but looked in control of the affair.

The Cardinals entered the second half with a higher tempo than they had in the first half, catching the Jumbos off guard initially. The rock-solid defense, led by senior Lena Sugrue in the center of the fray, was able to weather the storm to keep the visitors off the scoreboard. Junior goalkeeper Gigi Edwards made a huge save, palming a scorching shot off the crossbar to ensure the clean sheet.

Although neither team would score by the final whistle, there was plenty of action to satisfy the faithful fans at Bello Field. The scoreless draw reflected the very small gap separating the two sides. The Jumbos finished with seven shots on goal, while the Cardinals had six. 

The draw means that Tufts maintains their unbeaten run to start the season, extending it to seven games. They will have a few days to rest and recover before they return to Bello Field to host MIT on Wednesday at 4:00 pm.