MEDFORD, MA (October 27, 2026) – Sophomore Eleanor Helm scored her 16th goal of the season early in the fourth quarter to give the #1-ranked Tufts University field hockey team a perfect NESCAC season (10-0) with a 1-0 victory over #4 Bowdoin College on Tuesday night at Ounjian Field.

This is just the second undefeated conference season in program history for the Jumbos, and the first to finish 10-0. The 2008 team's 9-0 record was earned before Hamilton College joined NESCAC for field hockey.

Tufts is 15-0 overall and is the #1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament, which begins Saturday. The Jumbos will host eighth-seeded Colby College (8-7, 3-7) at noon.

Bowdoin fell to 10-3 overall and 7-3 in NESCAC and will be the #3 seed in the tournament. The Polar Bears will host sixth-seeded Wesleyan University on Saturday at noon.

The game was closely contested early, with no shots on goal in the first quarter. The Jumbos earned three penalty corners in the second quarter, which produced five shots on cage, but Bowdoin junior goalie Eva Filipponi saved them all, and the game remained scoreless at the half.

The Polar Bears put their first shot on goal in the third quarter, but Tufts senior netminder Isabel Ginns turned away an attempt by senior Emily Ferguson.

The Jumbos broke through on a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter, after Bowdoin was forced to play a defender down because of a pre-whistle foul. The insert from senior Lilly Ragusa went out to senior co-captain Claire Casey, whose shot was blocked by Polar Bear sophomore Tori Lynn. The ball bounced to Helm in the middle of the circle, and she turned and knocked it through a defender and past Filipponi for the game's only goal, 1:17 into the final quarter.

Bowdoin earned its only corner of the game with under three minutes remaining in regulation but could not convert. Ferguson had an open look as time expired, but Ginns batted the shot away as the horn sounded, and it would not have counted anyway.

Tufts finished with advantages of 16-4 in shots (10-2 on goal) and 4-1 on corners. Ginns earned her sixth shutout of the season (the team's seventh) with two saves. Filipponi made nine saves for Bowdoin.