The men’s soccer team extended its historic rivalry with Connecticut College on Sep. 10, 2022, battling the Camels to a goalless draw on Bello Field.
It was a cold November day in Oneonta, New York when SUNY Oneonta halted the 2022 men’s soccer team’s season in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament by a score of 2–0. The Jumbos’ program is renowned for being one of the best in Division III Men’s Soccer, highlighted by four national championships in the last ten years.
On March 3, the Tufts men’s basketball team faced off against Widener University in Keene, N.H. It was the most significant game of the season to date; the tension was apparent and the Jumbos needed someone to step up. That someone was senior guard and captain Theo “Sarge” Henry. When the squad’s season was on the line, Henry took charge and lived up to his nickname, leading the team to the 78–66 victory with 19 points, including a 12–12 performance from the line. However, this leadership did not magically appear out of nowhere. Instead, it is a trait he has cultivated throughout his basketball career, starting from the very beginning.
There is a common saying in sports that getting to the top is hard, but staying there is harder. The Tufts men's lacrosse team moved up to No. 1 in all three major polls last week despite tight wins against Williams and Connecticut College, and followed that up with a 20–7 victory on April 12 against a Bates side that sits toward the bottom of the NESCAC. Then, on Saturday the squad left Middletown, Conn. with a 25–16 statement win against Wesleyan to defend its rank as the nation’s top Division III side.
Although most teams would be satisfied with a 14–11 victory against Williams, an in-league opponent who sits in the top half of one of the best Division III lacrosse conferences in the country, the No. 1 Tufts men’s lacrosse team is not one of them. After all, the Jumbos have every right not to be, sporting an 11–0 record with an average margin of victory of 10.64 goals against some of the best squads in the nation. They are the only ranked team that is undefeated following previous No. 1 Christopher Newport’s loss to No. 2 Salisbury 16–7 on Saturday. After Wednesday’s Williams contest, the Jumbos faced off against an underappreciated Connecticut College on Saturday, and while the 15–14 victory was again closer than the team might have hoped for, perhaps it was the grit brewing from the discontent with the previous game’s result that allowed it to prevail.
While many college students spend their spring breaks traveling, having fun with friends or relaxing at school or home, the No. 2 men’s lacrosse team continued their season of hard work and impressive results with another set of blowout wins against some of the nation’s top squads. First, on March 19, Tufts took on No. 20 Stevens in Hoboken, N.J. where they came away with a 21–7 victory. Then, on March 21, the squad took on No. 18 Cabrini in Radnor, Pa., and conquered the Cavaliers 24–7. Finally, on Saturday, the Jumbos hosted a NESCAC matchup against Trinity, in which they walked away from Bello Field with a 23–9 victory.
This time of year, every team lucky enough to make the NCAA Tournament has the same vision: to win it all. It’s March Madness; the pressure is inevitable.
After the NESCAC No. 5 Tufts Jumbos took down national No. 3 and NESCAC No. 4 Middlebury Panthers in a very impressive performance that ended in an 89–80 double-overtime victory, the players took a collective sigh of relief. Whether through self-evaluation, Drew Pasteur’s Bracketology, the ‘expert’ takes from anonymous writers on Division III message boards or any number of other sources, the squad felt very confident — rightly so — that this win would earn them an NCAA tournament bid. Yet, a NESCAC title was still on the table for the team. As Tufts entered Saturday’s semifinals matchup against the NESCAC No. 2 Hamilton Continentals, perhaps it was this confidence in having future games that hurt them, leading to a 71–48 loss.
Coming off of a three-game win streak that culminated with a dominant 37-point victory over Colby-Sawyer, Tufts entered the weekend with confidence but awareness of the challenges ahead. A win in Friday’s away game at Wesleyan would’ve guaranteed the Jumbos a home game in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs and likely a more favorable matchup — if such a thing exists in the tough, hard-fought conference. Meanwhile, Saturday’s matchup against Trinity held the potential to serve as a momentum builder going into the postseason as well as an opportunity to secure the best seed possible in the NESCAC tournament.
It was a weekend long-awaited for the Jumbos. It was a weekend of two away games circled on the calendar since the schedule was released. It was a weekend where the squad would not only have two major NESCAC matchups but also matchups against the then No. 10 and No. 5 ranked teams in the country. This weekend was the weekend of tests: Williams and Middlebury. The Tufts squad did not shy away from these tests either, as it had a dominant 71–50 win against Williams and put up a fight against Middlebury before falling 72–56.
