Tom Tassinari, Football
Although his spectacular efforts did not prove to be enough in Tufts' disappointing 38-24 loss to Williams Saturday, junior defensive back Tom Tassinari put together a dominant performance in the team's season finale. Spurred by his impressive first-half effort that saw Tassinari come up with three interceptions, the Jumbos went into halftime leading 17-7.
The junior's first pick came with 2:11 left in the first quarter and led to the Jumbos' first score on the day, a 38-yard field goal from freshman place-kicker Adam Auerbach. After grabbing the errant ball from Panthers sophomore quarterback Jack Kramer, Tassinari scrambled for 48 yards to set up the team's first points.
Minutes later, Tassinari pulled in his second interception at 13:18 of the second quarter and ran back for another 31 yards. After tacking on a facemask penalty at the end of run, senior running back Will Forde pushed across the goal line to up the Jumbo advantage to 10-0, again with thanks to Tassinari's defensive play.
Tassinari's third and final pick came late in the second quarter at the Tufts one-yard line, keeping the Panthers offense at bay and preserving the Jumbos' 17-7 lead heading into the half.
With his impressive defensive showing on Saturday, Tassinari finished the season with five total interceptions for 127 yards and one touchdown.
This Weekend's Fans
Despite coming up short in terms of conference crowns, Bello Field and Cousens Gymnasium were well populated throughout both the field hockey and volleyball teams' bids to earn NESCAC titles in their respective sports.
Cousens played host to almost 1,000 fans across the NESCAC quarterfinals and semifinals, with 350 on hand to see top-seeded Tufts down Bates 3-1 Friday night and another 600 checked in on Saturday for the Jumbos' marathon five-set loss to eventual champion Williams 3-2. The largest attendance on hand during the regular season was 250 fans during Tufts' 3-0 loss to powerhouse Union in the finals of the Tufts Invitational Oct. 4.
Meanwhile, the Tufts faithful lined the fences of Bello Field a couple rows deep to play witness to the No. 1-seeded field hockey team's semifinal and championship efforts. Both the squad's 1-0 overtime victory in the semis over Trinity and 1-0 loss to Bowdoin in the title bout were witnessed by 500 fans each to pull about even with the volleyball team's attendees.
With the Hill as host to not one but two conference championships, the fans made good on the opportunity to see the best of the conference square off with bids to the NCAA Tournament on the line and support the Jumbos as best they could.
