MEDFORD, MA (October 27, 2026) – The No. 10 ranked Tufts University men's soccer team fell at home, 1-0, in the final regular season contest of the fall in NESCAC action against the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College on Bello Field.
 
The Jumbos (9-3-3, 5-3-2 NESCAC), entered the day in second place in the NESCAC, riding a three-game winning streak in games against Bates, Westfield State, and No. 7 Williams. The Polar Bears (8-2-5, 5-2-3 NESCAC), came into the match as the fourth place team in the NESCAC standings after going 1-1-1 in the previous three matchups against Hamilton, Colby, and No. 13 Connecticut.
 
In the first half, both teams maintained most of their possession in midfield, with no shots reaching goal in the opening 45 minutes. Bowdoin fired off two shots in the early goings, but both were off target.
 
Heading into the halftime break, the Jumbos led four to two in shot attempts, while also holding a slight two to one advantage in corner kick opportunities. No dangerous chances came to fruition in the opening half for either side.
 
Within the first two minutes of the final 45, Ellis Denby displayed his desire to score, sending two shot attempts in succession, unfortunately neither reached the goal mount.
 
The Polar Bears started to put together more possession time in their offensive end and eventually found the game's first goal in the 65th to make it a 1-0 score for the guests. Patrick Ritter delivered a perfectly lobbed cross from the left side of the field on a counterattack and Jack Banks climbed the ladder to head the ball past Nikola Antic.
 
The Jumbos hounded the offensive end for the final ten minutes of play, but Bowdoin was able to hold off Tufts' attack and take the victory. The best chance at an equalizer came at the 82:55 mark off of a corner kick chance, but the Blue and Brown could not find the back of the net.
 
Alex Johnson, Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das, William Cornog, Ellis Denby, and Ben Brown saw the full 90 minutes of action in the defeat.
 
The Jumbos will compete in the NESCAC Quarterfinal Round on Saturday with the official seeding yet to be determined.