MEDFORD, MA (October 10, 2026) – The No. 15 ranked Tufts University men's soccer team fell at home this afternoon on Senior Day against Middlebury College by a score of 2-1 in a hard fought NESCAC match-up on Bello Field.
 
The Jumbos (6-2-3, 3-2-2 NESCAC), were all over the Panthers defensive zone in the later parts of the second half, but could not find the late equalizer before the final whistle. The Panthers (8-0-2, 4-0-2 NESCAC), controlled possession for the majority of the contest and displayed disciplined defensive play to keep the Jumbos off the board until the final ten minutes.
 
Both goalkeepers were solid in net in the opening half, as no goals were scored for either side. Nikola Antic entered the halftime break with four total saves and faced eight shot attempts. Middlebury held an eye-catching eight to one advantage in the shot department after the first 45 minutes.
 
Middlebury came out hungry in half number two, notching the first goal of the contest just over three minutes in. In a chaotic sequence right outside of the box, Colin Dugan ran into a loose ball right on the penalty kick dot and rifle a shot into the open cage to give Middlebury a one-goal advantage.
 
The Panthers found their second marker of the game to give themselves a two-goal lead in the 66th minute. Will Sawin made three Jumbo defenders miss with his dribbling and fired a low screamer into the bottom right hand corner of the goal past Antic with no assist on the play.
 
The Jumbos showed their desperation to score following the second Middlebury goal, and eventually got one past Leon Brody, the Middlebury goaltender, in the 81st minute. Xavier Canfin delivered an over-the-top pass to Ellis Denby in the box and Denby shoved the ball into the lower left hand corner of the goal to cut Middlebury's lead in half.
 
Tufts applied heavy pressure at the end, attempting four shots in the final eight minutes of action, but were ultimately unable to find a game-tying goal. Alex Johnson, Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das, and Ben Brown played the full 90 minutes for the Jumbos, while each goalkeeper had four saves apiece.
 
The Jumbos are on the road against Bates for a NESCAC clash next Saturday with kick off starting at 3 PM.