No. 3 Tufts faced off against No. 2 Emory in their fourth NCAA semifinals appearance on Thursday. Despite a gritty performance and dominating possession, the Jumbos fell 3–0, and their season came to an end.
Emory’s offense wasted no time, drawing a foul in the final third in the second minute. They sent in a quality ball and headed it just wide. Jumbos junior goalkeeper Gigi Edwards tipped the ball, however, and the Eagles were awarded a corner kick. The Jumbos survived multiple crosses, putting the ball out for another Eagles corner. This time, the Eagles opted to go short. They then crossed the ball in and headed it down, and sophomore forward Mikayla Camp shot it into the corner, just out of Edwards’ reach. Emory was up 1–0 just three minutes into the match.
“I think the momentum at the start of the game and the big stage challenged us. [It] took us a second to settle in as a team,” Edwards wrote in a message to the Daily.
Tufts responded well to the early goal. They kept possession for the next 10 minutes, forced saves and won multiple corners. Still, they were not able to get a quality shot off.
The Eagles put on the pressure through the counter attack but were unable to keep possession. Tufts’ backline put on an impressive show, getting back quickly and containing Emory’s offense.
With 17 minutes left in the first half, sophomore defender Maggie Rogers played an impressive ball through to junior midfielder Emily Nicholas. It was a great chance for the Jumbos, but Eagles’ senior goalkeeper Sophia Garcia came off of line and got to the ball first.
More promising looks followed just minutes later with Nicholas passing a ball through to senior forward Elsi Aires. Garcia, however, was able to collect. Senior defender Anna Griffin then played a great ball into the box. Sophomore midfielder Maren Jones headed it down and Aires got a shot off, but it went high.
With eight minutes to go in the first half, Jones drew a foul in the Jumbos’ final third. Senior defender Lena Sugrue took the free kick and placed it right at the feet of junior midfielder Reese Birch, but her shot ended up just high.
Despite the early goal from Emory, the first half was pretty even. Tufts dominated possession and generated chances, but Emory was dangerous on the counterattack. The match was far from over.
“We also had a very productive half time talk reminding ourselves that we have come back from score deficits before,” Aires wrote in a message to the Daily.
It was all Tufts early in the second half. The Jumbos got a good look in the 51st minute with a ball over the top from Sugrue finding Birch, who crossed it in. It was a dangerous opportunity, but the Eagles cleared. Right after, Aires took a shot from distance — a good chance that ended up just wide. With 35 minutes to go, senior midfielder Aoife O’Reilly played a well-placed ball through to Birch for Tufts’ best chance of the match, but Garcia got to the ball before Birch could shoot it.
In the 59th minute, Emory got their first good look in the second half, and they capitalized. Junior midfielder Madison Teng’s shot from distance went off the post and in, and the Eagles went up 2–0.
“I think that if we hadn’t let in that second goal, we had the momentum and were going to score soon, credit to their offense,” Edwards wrote.
After the goal, the Eagles continued to put on the pressure, possessing the ball for long stretches for the first time in the match and spending time in their final third. Tufts’ defense, however, kept Emory from building on their lead.
The Jumbos’ offense couldn’t be stopped for long. Nicholas played a quality ball through to Aires that Emory cleared right into the path of junior forward Waverly Sumner. Sumner sent in a promising ball, but Emory’s defense cleared it back to midfield. Nicholas sent another ball in to Jones, who had an open look but couldn’t quite connect.
In the 74th minute, Emory once again made something out of nothing with Camp shooting a worldie from 25 yards out. Edwards couldn’t reach it, and the Eagles took a 3–0 advantage.
The teams traded possession for the remainder of the match. The Jumbos pushed hard to get into the final third, but the Eagles’ defense prevented any last minute chances.
In the end, the game came down to capitalizing on opportunities. Tufts had 14 shots to Emory’s 10, four shots on goal to Emory’s five, and six corners to Emory’s two, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
“Emory was a very competitive team and it was a great game. They had two phenomenal shots in the second half that led to their second and third goals. Even though the score doesn’t depict it, we held possession of the ball and had many chances but unfortunately couldn’t convert them,” Aries wrote.
Despite the loss, Tufts women’s soccer had a tremendously successful season, winning the NESCAC tournament and making it to the NCAA Final Four.
“I think even after that first game against Williams September 6, we realized just how talented and capable our team is and although you can never take a game or team for granted, we knew we were good enough to make it all the way if we kept that same game to game mentality. [We] just couldn’t get it done in the semis,” Edwards wrote.
Women’s soccer will be back in 2026 for redemption but, in the meantime, they reminisce on their gratitude toward one another. “This last season of mine has been the absolute best. It’s been the most successful season we’ve had with my time here and I could not be more proud of each of my teammates,” Aires wrote. “Overall, I am very grateful to be surrounded by such amazing teammates each day and could not be happier with the memories that we created in my last season that will last a lifetime!”
