Sports

Sports

Field hockey’s impressive season and the careers of a beloved senior class end in NCAA quarterfinals

By Keriann Slayton | November 17

Tufts field hockey burst onto Ounjian Field in commanding fashion on Nov. 8 following disappointment in the NESCAC tournament. Tufts opened NCAA play with a 5–0 victory over Southern Maine. After a tough overtime loss to the Mammoths in the first round of the conference tournament, gratitude for the chance to continue their season inspired the Jumbos’ dominant response. Senior co-captain Andrea DelGiudice and junior Kylie Rosenquest combined for four goals, and senior Rachel Scrivanich buried another in the net on a first-quarter corner. Sophomore Gabby Sousa notched two assists, and the Jumbos finished with a 27–2 advantage in shots on goal. 

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Sports

Women’s soccer advances to NCAA Sweet 16

By Katie Spiropoulos | November 17

Coming out of their NESCAC season, the Tufts women’s soccer team entered the NCAA Division III as a Pool C at-large bid and immediately hit the ground running. They faced Franklin & Marshall on Nov. 11 and shut them down 2–1. The Jumbos were led by sophomore forward Elsi Aires, who put both goals away, but also saw strong effort by senior midfielder Thalia Greenberg and junior defender Jordan Cushner.

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Columns

In the Crease: More NHL standings predictions

By Zachary Gerson | November 17

The Minnesota Wild, just as they have been for the past few seasons, are a good team. They are not overwhelmingly talented but have the pieces needed to rack up wins.

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Columns

The Hard Count: The Deshaun Watson Problem

By Reece Christian | November 17

In last week’s column, I wrote about the success of the Houston Texans with CJ Stroud at quarterback, and I stated that the Texans had ‘finally’ found their franchise quarterback. This ignored a wrinkle in the Texans’ history, that being the promise of 2017 draft pick Deshaun Watson during four seasons in Houston.

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Sports

Cross country excites at NCAA regionals, men place 2nd to secure Nationals berth

By Madeline Mueller | November 16

The men’s cross country team finished in a strong second place out of 34 teams at the NCAA Division III East Regional championship in New Hampshire on Saturday. All seven runners were in the top 35 to secure all-regional honors, and this performance, along with a strong record this season, secured the team an at-large berth for the NCAA National championship that will take place on Saturday. 

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Sports

Men’s soccer dances on after thumping Bridgewater State 3–0, outlasting Rochester 2–1

By Spencer Rosenbaum | November 16

3,470. That is the number of miles Washington and Lee, Ohio Northern and Colorado College will travel in sum to get to Bello Field for their matchups this coming weekend. The Tufts men’s soccer team hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament this past weekend, and with a 3–0 win against Bridgewater State on Saturday and a 2–1 win against Rochester on Sunday, they earned a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. 

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Columns

Sports and Society: Ban bandwagons

By Oliver Fox | November 16

We need some standardization for sports fans, and I’m declaring bandwagoning illegal. You heard me. There are all sorts of rules governing player and team movement across professional sports in America. Players sign contracts and can be traded without their consent. Teams can’t just move to Barbados without running things through the proper channels. The NFL even has a borderline-authoritarian policy called the franchise tag, which can just force a superstar player to stay put regardless of their wishes.

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Sports

Women’s volleyball falls to Williams in NESCAC semifinals

By Tara Wirtschoreck | November 16

After a tight win against Williams earlier in this season, the No. 4 seeded Tufts women's volleyball team wasn’t able to replicate their previous success on Friday in the NESCAC semifinals.

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Sports

Tufts football falls to Middlebury in tight game for season finale

By Nick Dohr | November 15

In what was predicted to be a potentially league champion-deciding matchup, both the Middlebury Panthers and the Tufts Jumbos were ready to rock and roll on Saturday. Middlebury started with the ball, and senior wide receiver Carter Stockwell got the Panthers moving with a 16-yard rush up the middle. The Panthers charged downfield, but a throw from senior quarterback Cole Kennon was picked off in the endzone by the Jumbos’ senior defensive back Drew Guida.

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Columns

The Step Back: Why the NBA needs expansion now more than ever

By Sam Dieringer | November 14

For almost twenty years, the NBA has comprised 30 teams. With vastly increasing league popularity and a treasure trove of player talent, team expansion has become a tantalizing idea for fans and executives alike. As other major sports leagues like the NHL have expanded in recent years, the NBA board has yet to budge on the topic of expansion. It was only this past summer that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver finally acknowledged the possibility of expansion following the end of the league’s media rights deal in 2025. What Silver fails to realize, however, is that NBA expansion is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.

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Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: What to know from Opening Week

By Owen Short | November 14

Looking at the schedule for the first week of college basketball, there wasn’t much to be excited about. But even with the very weak slate of games, we still got to see some great battles that will definitely affect seeding come March.

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Columns

Extra Innings: 2023 MLB award predictions

By Henry Blickenstaff | November 13

The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the winners of its annual awards over the course of this week, starting tonight. Here are the finalists and my thoughts on who should win each award.

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Sports

Men’s soccer splits NESCAC championship weekend, falling in the final

By Max Druckman | November 9

The Tufts men’s soccer team has rarely entered the NESCAC Tournament as underdogs. They were NESCAC champions in2017, 2019 and 2021, winning every championship game they participated in. However, following a 2–1 victory over Bowdoin in the quarterfinals, the Jumbos were considered heavy underdogs entering the semifinals, as they faced the undefeated Middlebury Panthers, the third-ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

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Columns

In the Crease: More NHL standings predictions

By Zachary Gerson | November 9

Now, we shift our focus to the Western Conference. The Arizona Coyotes are continuing with their rebuild, but for the first time in many years, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Arizona has a plethora of young talent in forwards such as Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley, Barrett Hayton and others. For the time being, the Coyotes are not ready to compete for a playoff spot due to below-average defense and goaltending. However, with the young talent the Coyotes have brought in, the future is bright in the desert, but the club will have to wait another year or two before they are ready to compete for a playoff berth.

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Columns

The Hard Count: C.J. Stroud continues to defy expectations in stellar rookie campaign

By Reece Christian | November 9

The Houston Texans aren’t exactly a historically successful franchise. They’ve only made the playoffs six times out of their 21 full seasons of existence, and are the only franchise to have never played in a conference championship game. As a result, when there’s finally a hope for the future, it’s a big deal.

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Sports

Tufts football storms to a win over Colby at home on Senior Day

By Nick Dohr | November 8

It was Senior Day at the Ellis Oval, and the Jumbos were fired up and ready to roll. The Jumbos, led by senior quarterback Matt Crowley, started with the ball. A three-and-out by the Jumbos and a third-down fumble by the Mules gave the game a slow start. Junior quarterback Michael Berluti came onto the field and got the squad rolling, putting a 12-yard pass in the hands of senior wide receiver Robbie Moret.

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Sports

Women’s volleyball secures 3–1 victory against Trinity

By Tara Wirtschoreck | November 8

In a strong start to the NESCAC tournament, the Tufts women’s volleyball team won against Trinity College for a home victory on Saturday. The Jumbos won three out of four sets to secure their position in the semifinals next weekend.

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Sports

The heart of Atlético Madrid: Antoine Griezmann

By Bharat Singh | November 7

There is nothing elegant about Atlético Madrid. In an era in which coaches and teams have crafted tactics around efficient possession and inch-perfect passing, Atleti remains a product of the past. Their coach, Diego Simeone, epitomizes this. The Argentine coach famously tripped David Beckham in a World Cup quarter final in 1998, sparking a rash kick from the English star, a topic of conversation in his latest documentary. But, at the core of Atleti’s chaos lies a delicate gem, crafted in France and polished in La Liga, former world champion Antoine Griezmann.

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Sports

Don’t look now, but the Celtics are 5–0

By Jared Cohen | November 7

On Saturday night, with 7:47 to go in the fourth quarter, Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. nailed a three-pointer to cut his team’s deficit to only one point. Boston Celtics fans had seen this story before; unable to put a game away in crunch time, it seemed inevitable they would fall back into old habits, wasting possessions with fruitless isolation attempts before choking away a winnable game.

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Columns

Extra Innings: The greatest teams of the 21st century

By Henry Blickenstaff | November 7

We all love a good underdog story, and both the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks had one this year. But we also love to witness greatness — teams that dominate, break records and win awards. These teams, the five greatest of the 21st century, did just that.

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