It was the game that everyone had circled on the calendar — a rematch of the NESCAC semifinal, where the Tufts Jumbos ended the Middlebury Panthers’ unbeaten streak in 2023. Both teams came in undefeated, and remain the only two without losses in the 10-team league. The Jumbos came into Saturday knowing that a win would clinch the NESCAC regular season title, with the Panthers needing at least a draw to keep their hopes of hosting a second consecutive NESCAC tournament.
In the end, the game saw seven yellow cards, two goal-line clearances and 90 minutes of physical play. Yet, after all the chaos, the scoreboard ended where it started: 0–0, with Tufts and Middlebury each picking up a point to stay first and second in the NESCAC standings, respectively.
Both teams started ambitiously right out of the gate. The Jumbos earned the first corner kick just over three minutes into the game, giving junior defender Mateo Bargagna, who was unmarked at the back post, a chance to score a goal, but he could not redirect the cross on frame. Two minutes later, the Panthers got their first chance of the day, as an inswinger toward Luke Madden, the All-NESCAC First Team defender, found him unmarked. However, like Bargagna, he squandered the chance, sending it above junior goalkeeper Nikola Antic’s net.
Following those two chances, the game transformed into what senior captain Taylor Feinberg described to the Daily as, “Chaos: … classic NESCAC ball.” It started with senior midfielder Ethan Feigin getting tackled by Middlebury midfielder Shane Farrell for the game’s first caution. Four minutes later, a late challenge from Bargagna on the edge of his box added his name to the book. With 13 minutes to go in the first half, two Panthers saw yellow in the span of a minute, as defender William O’Brien and midfielder Eujin Chae were booked for tackles breaking up Jumbos’ counterattacks.
Tufts senior defender Owen Denby quickly joined the book after a late challenge nine minutes from halftime. With only a minute left in the first half, Middlebury midfielder Malik Samms sent the referees under heavy fire with an outstretched leg catching Antic in the face. Immediately, Antic, the entire Tufts bench and most of the crowd were screaming at the referee to send Samms off the field. However, after communicating with assistants, the referee decided that despite the contact, there was no malicious intent and therefore the yellow card was correct.
After the chaos of the first half, the second returned to more conventional NESCAC soccer: A highly physical but overall clean affair filled with numerous chances and end-to-end play. The Jumbos came inches from taking the lead with yet another corner kick two minutes into the half. Bargagna, unmarked at the back post, forced Middlebury goalkeeper Joey Waterman into a kick save off the goal line. This pattern continued with the Jumbos’ fifth corner kick of the game, with Feinberg putting a free header on the 6-yard box toward the net’s roof but parried by the Panthers’ goalie.
The Panthers responded with a few good chances themselves, forcing Antic into making four saves, including one off a rocket shot from the right foot of forward Hugo Horwitz. The Panthers’ attempts were unable to beat the Jumbos’ keeper, who recorded his seventh shutout of the season. While the Jumbos would counter with shots from junior forward Mason Schultz and junior midfielder Daniel Yanez, they were unable to take advantage of the gaps in the Panthers’ defense, leaving both teams without a deserved point after a scoreless 90 minutes.
Feinberg, when reflecting on the game, said that the Jumbos were “unlucky not to get one off a set piece,” after recording three shots on net-off corner kicks alone, accounting for all but one of the Jumbos’ shots on frame. However, he was proud of the team’s overall performance, calling it “one of our best halves of the season.” Overall, Feinberg described the week, which also included a win on the road against No. 10 Amherst College, as one that they can’t complain about, describing the mood as “definitely happy.”
With a win and a draw against the two highest-ranked NESCAC teams in the span of four days, the Jumbos have sent a message to the rest of the Division III world that they are a national title contender. While their results this week could have been enough to send them to No. 1 in the national rankings, Feinberg says they don’t particularly care. “We care more about being ranked No. 1 at the end of the season,” Feinberg said.
One thing’s for certain: If they remain undefeated, the class of 2025 will achieve this goal and check off the final box remaining on their resume.
