Sports

Columns

Roster Rundown: Week 4

By Timothy Valk | September 30

And then there were two. Heading into Week 4, the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins remain undefeated — a surprising duo according to most analysts’ preseason predictions. Yet these teams have a similar makeup. Each traded for a star wide receiver over the summer: Tyreek Hill for the ’Fins and A.J. Brown for the Eagles. Each have stout defenses led by top-notch corners, Xavien Howard and Darius Slay, respectively. Quarterback development is what’s truly propelling these franchises. Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts have each taken junior year leaps and are second and third in passing yards respectively.

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Sports

Tufts wins Learfield Directors' Cup for the first time in program history

By Keila McCabe | September 29

In Tufts Director of Athletics John Morris’ office, a large crystal chalice, quite literally too large for the athletics trophy case in Gantcher, sits shining on a round table. It’s adorned with a removable top and the cup itself sits on a heavy black podium. The plaque on the podium reads “Tufts University, 2021-2022 Division III All-Sports Champion.”

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Sports

Women’s soccer leaves Hamilton with draw despite control of play

By Spencer Rosenbaum | September 29

Whether or not it seems fair, the winner of a soccer game is not the team that controls possession, has the most chances to score or even has the highest quality shots. Instead, the winner is decided by one simple fact: the number of times each team puts the ball into the back of the opposing team’s net. In Saturday’s NESCAC match against Hamilton, the United Soccer Coaches’ No. 6 ranked Tufts’ women’s soccer team experienced this first-hand. Despite their dominance and control of play throughout the game, they left New York with a 1–1 draw that would leave them hanging on to the top spot of the NESCAC by the skin of their teeth.

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Columns

The Final Whistle: Can South America reclaim its throne in Qatar?

By Bharat Singh | September 29

On July 13, 2014, the world witnessed two footballing giants go head to head in a final for the ages. Ironically, in Brazil’s iconic Maracanã Stadium, it was Argentina taking on its fierce rival, Germany. The biggest prize in the game, an 18-karat gold trophy standing just 36 centimeters high, stood between the teams’ dugouts at the edge of the touchline. The fairytale ending was almost a reality until Mario Gotze’s extra-time winner broke Argentine hearts. A month-long festival of football on South American soil culminated in German joy. Lionel Messi wore silver as semifinalist Brazil, having been demolished 7 ー 1 a few days earlier, settled for fourth.

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Cross Country

Tufts cross country dominates at Bowdoin Invitational

By Chloe Nacson-Schechter | September 28

On Sept. 24, the men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Maine to compete in the Bowdoin College Invitational. This was the team’s third meet of the season, and both teams are off to strong starts.

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Sports

Men's Soccer falls to No. 19 nationally-ranked Hamilton

By Jordan Cushner | September 27

On Saturday, men’s soccer suffered its second loss of the season in its away game at Hamilton. While last season Hamilton was 7–7–1, Tufts’ sophomore center back Taylor Feinberg explained that their team still came off the bus with high intensity and locked in for this matchup. 

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Columns

Sports and Society: Pay up

By Oliver Fox | September 27

Since a 2019 California law blew the lid off of student athletes getting paid, American governmental bodies have been gunning for the borderline illegal monopoly the NCAA and college athletic departments have had on revenue streams. The California law and subsequent measures held that student athletes could receive compensation for their names, images and likenesses, known collectively as NIL, a major step for student athlete compensation, but stopped miles short of actually paying them for their work. 

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Sports

Football earns convincing NESCAC win at Bates

By Arielle Weinstein | September 26

Tufts football earned their first win this weekend, clobbering the Bates College Bobcats 35–7 in Lewiston, Maine. Both teams came into the weekend with 0–1 records, Tufts having lost to Trinity 26–23 and Bates having lost to Wesleyan 41–10. In their last seven meetings, Tufts has a 6–1 record against Bates. Their only loss came last season, when the team hadn’t gotten their footing yet.

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Sports

Field hockey increases win streak to six games with elite play execution and mentality 

By Keriann Slayton | September 26

On Sept. 21, the women’s field hockey team’s winning streak reached six games after a 2–1 victory over the Wesleyan Cardinals on their home turf. Successful corners in the first half gave the Jumbos a two-goal advantage, and they held onto that lead for the entire game despite frequent threats and a fourth-quarter spark from the Cardinals. The Jumbos capitalized on penalty instances, exhibiting finesse and offensive preparation when the Cardinals lost a player due to a green card, racking up a total of five shots compared to the Cardinals’ three. 

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Soccer

Leah Williamson brings it home

By Bharat Singh | September 22

About 50 miles northwest of London, on the outskirts of the city of Milton Keynes, lies the small town of Newport Pagnell. Home to just 15,000 people — one-fourth of the capacity of Arsenal’s iconic Emirates Stadium — the town is dwarfed both in size and history with its only real ‘achievement’ being its role as birthplace of the luxury sports car company Aston Martin. Today, the town can proudly celebrate another local story as home to England national team captain and newly crowned European football champion, Leah Williamson. 

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Columns

Roster Rundown: Fantasy football preview Week 3

By Timothy Valk | September 22

Hey football fans, welcome back! This is Year 2 of Roster Rundown, and I’m so excited to bring you week-to-week fantasy content once again. Let’s face it: A lot has happened since the end of last year. The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl 56 — in Los Angeles. The Deshaun Watson saga finally ended in an 11-game suspension. Tom Brady retired — and unretired. 

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Sports

Men's soccer defeats Amherst and ties with Williams in tightly contested matches

By Teymour Afkhami | September 22

The men’s soccer team picked up a win on the road this past weekend against the Amherst Mammoths, while also earning its second NESCAC tie of the season in its match against the Williams Ephs.

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Sports

Football loses tough opening NESCAC matchup

By Arielle Weinstein | September 20

The Tufts Jumbos suffered a heartbreaking loss after a valiant fight against the Trinity College Bantams this past weekend, just barely losing 26-23. In their last 10 meetings, Tufts has been 1–9 against Trinity. The Bantams came in second place in the NESCAC in the 2021 season with a record of 8–1. Their only loss was to the NESCAC champion, Williams. In last season’s matchup between the Bantams and the Jumbos, Trinity dominated throughout the game and only a late surge of scoring from Tufts made the game more competitive. The final score was 42–28. 

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Sports

Women's volleyball earns first NESCAC win over the weekend

By Keila McCabe | September 20

Volleyball split its first weekend of NESCAC play this past weekend, falling short to Wesleyan and getting their first conference win against Trinity. These matches bring the team’s overall record to 4–2 and their NESCAC record to 1–1. In the 2021 season, the Wesleyan Cardinals consistently posed a serious threat, giving the Jumbos two of six losses for the year. Additionally, the Cardinals knocked the Jumbos out of the NESCAC tournament in the semifinals, before eventually losing to the top-seeded hosts, the Bowdoin Polar Bears, in the NESCAC championship. In 2021, both matches were hard-fought battles that went to five sets. This year’s contest was no different. Despite losing in three sets, each set was within single digit points, with the Jumbos and Cardinals trading off the lead frequently (21–25, 23–25, 24–26). The Cardinals improved their record to 5–0, positioning themselves as tough competition and big targets for their next matchup with the Jumbos. Junior middle hitter Brittany Bennet said the speed of game against Wesleyan challenged the team.

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Sports

Field hockey stirs up the perfect storm as season takes off

By Keriann Slayton | September 16

The field hockey team burst onto Ounjian Field last weekend, displaying fire and preparation in their home opener against Connecticut College and securing a dominant 5–1 victory over the Camels. The Jumbos made a statement to the entire NESCAC, scoring early and often via creative pass plays and consistent defense. 

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Columns

Sports and Society: Discipline is dead

By Oliver Fox | September 16

Robert Sarver and Donald Sterling are both despicable people, each credibly accused of uniquely reprehensible actions that spanned years and sometimes decades. Only Sterling, former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, was truly reprimanded permanently. Sarver, the still-owner of the Phoenix Suns, got the equivalent of a parking ticket and a timeout. Both admit no wrongdoing, lost essentially no money, and the NBA seems just fine with that. 

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Sports

Women's volleyball competes in East-West Classic at Emory University

By Keila McCabe | September 14

Tufts volleyball took on three high-level competitors this past weekend to earn mixed results at the East-West Classic. The games were hosted by Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, bringing together some of the top competition in Div. III volleyball. Teams included some of the nation’s elite competition, including this year’s No. 1 seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and last year’s No. 1 seeded team, the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays. The Jumbos upset the Blue Jays in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The trip to Georgia is the team’s second away trip of many to start its season.Junior outside hitter Rileigh Farragher commented on the schedule.

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Sports

Men's soccer triumphs over MIT, ties with Conn. College

By Arielle Weinstein | September 14

Saturday’s game between the Tufts University Jumbos and the Connecticut College Camels was highly contested in a close matchup. This was the second game of both teams’ seasons as they played out-of-conference openers to start the year. 

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Sports

Women's soccer prevails over Conn. College thanks to second half goal frenzy

By Ethan Grubelich | September 12

The Tufts women’s soccer program hosted the Connecticut College Camels on Saturday for each team’s first NESCAC game of the 2022 season. The Jumbos and Camels entered Saturday’s contest each having already dominated a non-conference opponent at home during the week — Tufts defeated Emerson College 4–1 and Conn. College defeated the University of Saint Joseph 6–0.  

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Columns

The Final Whistle: From Turin to Rome, the Dybala story

By Bharat Singh | September 12

Some fans might recall the days when rumors of a young Argentine talent began emerging from southern Italy. Clad in the flamingo pink and black of Palermo, Paulo Dybala regularly dazzled defenders with his relentless pace, close control in tight areas and lethal left foot. Dubbed the “new Sergio Augero” by his club president in reference to the famous Argentine soccer player, the young forward quickly made headlines for his match-winning performances. The newly promoted Sicilian side had clearly landed a gem. 

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