On Saturday, Tufts women’s soccer will take on Williams College in their first game of the 2025 season at 12:30 p.m. on Bello Field. Along with it being their season premiere, they will also be facing the pressure of playing their first conference game against the talented Ephs. The Jumbos, who have been in preseason for over a week, have focused their efforts on bettering the team in preparation.
“The pre-season has been very successful so far. We’ve been able to work on many aspects of our game, starting with the strategies of how we approach certain situations in game, but also focusing time and energy on our team culture,” senior forward Elsi Aires wrote in an email to the Daily.
During their 2024 season, the Jumbos had a strong season performance with a 14–4–1 record and a 7–2–1 conference record. They went 8–0 at home games during the season. Although their season got cut short with an elimination in the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament against Amherst College and in the second round of the NCAA tournament against William Smith College, the players remember the season fondly.
“We were very successful in our 2024 season. Even though we didn’t make it as far as we would’ve liked in the national tournament, it was still a season to remember,” Aires wrote.
After the tournament losses of the 2024 season, the Jumbos were faced with the challenge of losing a talented class of seniors. “Losing seniors from the previous year is always difficult. We lost mentors that I’ve been inspired by and looked up to for many years,” Aires wrote.
The Jumbos, however, feel able to overcome the challenge. “I think this year my [senior] class will do a fantastic job of filling in the gaps as leaders and help lead our team to success,” Aires wrote.
Along with a new senior class that’s ready to fill the Class of 2025’s shoes, the Jumbos have now gained seven new first-years: defenders Sydney Kassel and Alyssa Ruiz, forwards Jordyn Miller and Mia Usatin, midfielders Claire Brady and Kate Loparco and goalkeeper Lindsay Fouche.
The Jumbos are excited by the prospective success women’s soccer players from the Class of 2029 will bring. “It has been so much fun watching the new [first-years] become a part of our family and how they fit in perfectly,” Aires wrote. “They are such a talented and caring group of girls that I know will have a great impact on our current team and the future of our program.”
Still, the upperclassmen put effort into ensuring their first-years fit into the team dynamic. “The most important thing to instill in the freshman … is our values as a team. One thing that makes our team so successful is how hardworking and supportive everyone is. [Head coach Martha Whiting] has always supported a team-first attitude and this truly benefits our team because we constantly work to make each other better,” Aires wrote.
This preseason, the Jumbos started with two practices a day to ensure they perfect their strategies prior to the season beginning. “We have been mostly working on the basic fundamentals that our team follows for our style of play,” Aires wrote. “For example, on our defensive end, we love possessing the ball, continuing to build up the field, before we attack and break lines.”
Preseason also includes scrimmages, team meetings where players and coaches review film and go over game strategies and situational awareness and team bonding events.
Although the Jumbos are focusing their efforts on preparing for the beginning of the season, preparations for the postseason remain a priority as well. “The most talked about goals of the season so far follow our success path for the season, where we strive to accomplish finishing at the top of the NESCAC, winning the league tournament, and winning the national tournament,” Aires wrote.
While preseason holds their current focus and the postseason is their final goal, the players have not forgotten about the joy of in-season play. “Each year we are very excited to play [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], since they are an out-of-league team and it’s always a very competitive game,” Aires wrote. This year, the coveted game takes place on Oct. 1 on Bello Field.
The most important games in the Jumbos’ season will be against their NESCAC opponents, but the Jumbos already feel ready to face them. “Our team is so excited to play against the rest of our league. Some of the teams graduated key players, but of course the NESCAC is a very competitive league and everyone is so talented,” Aires wrote.
Once the preseason ends, the Jumbos have a 15-game regular season to tough out before they get to the postseason, with nine of those being conference games.
Aires, being a senior this year, has a new outlook this season. “I am focusing on staying present and soaking in every moment with my team. For the season, I have high hopes that this will be the most special one yet,” Aires wrote. “My time with Tufts women’s soccer has been so special and I can’t wait to end the journey chasing a national championship with my best friends one last time.”
With eight upcoming home games this season, Jumbos fans have plenty of opportunities to cheer on Aires and the rest of the women’s soccer team as they take on their 2025 season.
