Men’s soccer advances to NCAA tournament Final Four
By Max Druckman | November 25San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer David Robinson once remarked, “It’s the playoffs. There’s no room for okay.”
San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer David Robinson once remarked, “It’s the playoffs. There’s no room for okay.”
Once the clocks “fall back” during the first weekend in November, there are very few things that can get me out of the house at night. Darkness descends at 4 p.m., and a dreary, frigid air engulfs Medford, greatly diminishing my aptitude for external munching.
The phrase ‘better late than never’ is often used and usually rings true. Still, those four words don’t account for the rollercoaster of emotions that completing a task before ‘never’ brings. The Tufts women’s soccer team experienced this rollercoaster twice this past weekend, as they scored a late goal to beat Colby and a late equalizer that yielded a penalty shootout win over Williams to claim the 2025 NESCAC crown.
We all make mistakes. Whether it be hitting your 5-year-old brother in the face with a pitch or smashing your side-view mirror into your friend’s mailbox, sometimes, we just mess up. (Don’t ask me where I came up with those examples.)
When the Class of 2026 first took the field for the Tufts men’s soccer team, the world was a vastly different place. ChatGPT was not yet released, Queen Elizabeth II was still the monarch of the United Kingdom and Luka Dončić was still a Dallas Maverick. Despite all the turmoil, one constant has remained across the last four years — the Jumbos have continued to win soccer matches.
Those of you who know me will understand that the 50% of my brain not occupied by food is concentrated on baseball (I know, scientists have already asked to study it). Most of the time, this arrangement isn’t productive — thinking about Trader Joe’s Buffalo Chicken Dip doesn’t help me when staring down a 3–2 count. Other times though, my dual thought processes can be fruitful.
“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” It may be a cliché, but that designation doesn’t make it any less true. Bates’ football team certainly found themselves following Yogi Berra’s words of wisdom as they stormed back to score twice in the fourth quarter and steal a Homecoming victory from Tufts.
Steph and Klay. Batman and Robin. Mario and Luigi. Every dynamic duo features a main character and a trusty sidekick. While these sidekicks often don’t get the attention they deserve, their contributions are equally important.
Goal scoring can be artful, vivid and poetic. After glancing off the inner edge of a player’s cleat, the ball can be neatly curled, gently kissing the crossbar before settling into the top corner of the net. Other times, though, goal scoring can be ugly, scrappy and lucky. Still, no matter how a goal is scored, they all count the same. It was in the latter style that both Tufts men’s soccer junior forward Henry Brown and Wesleyan forward Sam Wheeler scored the only goals for their respective sides in a 1–1 draw on Bello Field on Saturday.
Michael Jordan. Mario Lemieux. Tom Brady. All greats of their respective sports. All retired, reversed their decision and then came back to dominate. Now, I’m not saying that I am the Michael Jordan of student food reviewers (or maybe I am?). But, in any case, my mini-retirement, which has left you all in a world without Boston-area dining suggestions for over nine months — elongated by summer break and multiple trips home — has concluded. I’m back, munching better than ever.