WILLIAMSTOWN, MA (November 7, 2026) – The No. 4 ranked Tufts University men's soccer team rallied from a one-goal deficit and a second half red card to capture their second straight NESCAC title game appearance after ending the conference semifinal round with a 4-3 shootout advantage over No. 24 Hamilton.
 
The Jumbos (9-3-5, 5-3-2 NESCAC), found themselves in a similar situation to last week's conference quarterfinal PK shootout against Connecticut and stayed poised and confident to earn a chance to battle for the NESCAC trophy tomorrow. The Continentals (7-4-5, 3-4-3 NESCAC), had a clear desire to control the pace of the game and out-hustle the Jumbos, but Tufts showed their resilience and ability to fight through adversity and held off the solid effort from Hamilton.
 
Hamilton was on the attack right from kick off as they tested Nikola Antic early with an on-target shot just 44 seconds in, but the graduate goalkeeper refused to go down early.
 
The Continentals kept the pressure on and found the back of the net in the 21st minute to stun Tufts and take a one goal advantage. Troy Miller delivered an unreal strike that curved in the top right corner from around 20 yards out for his team-leading tenth marker of the season. Zach Tracy dished out his second assist of 2026 on the score.
 
Not a single shot, from either team, was within the goal mount for the remainder of the half. The Continentals entered halftime with a four to zero lead in shot attempts, while also leading four to one in corner kick chances. Antic recorded one save in the opening 45 minutes, while Tobin Walsh did not face a shot on goal in the first half.
 
In the 64th minute, Alex Johnson picked up the Jumbos' first red card of the season to deny Hamilton a breakaway scoring opportunity. With Tufts now down a man, the Blue and Brown came together and found a way to draw a foul in the box in the 70th minute. William Cornog continued to show why he is the PK specialist, as he converted from the dot for the third time this season in as many chances to tie the contest at one.
 
In the overtime periods, Tufts was feeling the exhaustion from playing down a man for the last 30 minutes and fielded a defensive play style that limited any threatening scoring chances from Hamilton. In the second and final overtime stanza, Bashir Abou ripped a shot towards the top left corner of the goal, but Antic made a sprawling save to send the game to a shootout.
 
In the penalty shootout, Tufts took a 4-3 advantage to secure their spot the 2026 NESCAC Championship. Antic made another huge stop in the shootout against Patrick Ferrare to complete the victory.
 
The Jumbos are back on Cole Field in Williamstown, MA tomorrow for the 2026 NESCAC Title match against Amherst at 12 PM.