Freshman midfielder Gus Santos capped off a stellar first season for the men's soccer team by winning the NESCAC Rookie of the Year award. He was the first Jumbo to win the award in at least 11 seasons.
Santos, who was also the lone Tufts representative on the All−NESCAC First Team, led conference rookies with 20 points — good for fourth in the NESCAC overall. The freshman midfielder led the Jumbos with seven goals, including two overtime golden goals, and six assists. Santos' best performance came on Oct. 19 against visiting Suffolk, when he scored twice and added an assist to lead the Jumbos to a commanding 6−1 win.
A dynamic dribbler on the left wing, Santos made his presence known before the season even started. In a preseason scrimmage against Wesleyan, Santos sprinted down the left side, dangled past a few Cardinals defensemen and buried a shot to score the only goal of the match. It was a sign of things to come for Santos, who made a living on the left side of the pitch all season.
Santos was the first All−NESCAC player for the Jumbos since 2008 when then−senior defenseman Peter DeGregorio (LA ‘09) secured second−teamAll−Conference honors.
