The Tufts football team suffered a heartbreaking defeat on Saturday to Amherst, losing 20–17 on a last-second game-winning field goal. Entering the game, the Jumbos were the expected favorites, as they came in with a conference and overall record of 3–2 in the season. On the opposing side, the Amherst Mammoths were winless in the five games that they had played.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how I believed the Bruins were actively ignoring the inevitable rebuild facing the franchise. They have since proved me wrong. Not only are these Bruins playing playoff-level hockey through six games, they lead the league in points. Sure, some of their wins have been against weaker competition, but the team seems to be skating in midseason form and has formed a strong chemistry through only two weeks.
Tufts rowing competed in the iconic Head of the Charles Regatta this past weekend, finding success for both the men’s and the women’s teams. On Saturday, the men’s and women’s 3V8 boats raced in the Club Eights event, with opponents spanning from top Div. I schools to Div. III. They placed 21st and 28th, respectively, each moving down from their original bow by four and six places respectively. On Sunday, Tufts men’s and women’s 1V8 and 2V8 boats competed in the Collegiate Eights event against predominantly other Div. III competition, club teams and lower level Div. I schools. Both men’s and women’s 1V8 boats made history for the Jumbos, placing 6th and 3rd respectively, both beating last year’s performances by two places. The men’s and women’s 1V8 boats were second to only one other Div. III school. The men’s and women’s 2V8 boats finished 33rd and 12th, compared to last year’s 41st and 14th place finishes. Senior rower from the women’s 3V8 boat Astrid Larson described the environment of the Head of the Charles regatta.
Amidst the drizzling rain in the Spanish capital stood a man at the peak of his powers. A modern gladiator, famed for his bandaged right hand concealing a fractured finger, entering his coliseum. A treasure of the game now finally glittering in gold. As he crossed the touchline, a thunderous roar erupted from the stands as his teammates applauded with pride. Waiting for him with the iconic trophy were two legends in their own right: Luka Modric, Madrid’s captain and midfield king, and Zinedine Zidane, former coach, World Cup winner and the last Frenchman to win the award until, well, now.
While the top two seeds advanced to the championship series in the American League, the National League side of the bracket was full of upsets. All three teams that won 100 games were eliminated before the championship series. The Mets’ 101-win season came to an end in the wild card round at the hands of the Padres, while the Braves, also winners of 101 games, were stunned by the Phillies in the division series.
Volleyball kept its hot streak going on the road, grabbing two more NESCAC wins against Williams and Amherst. This successful weekend marked the team’s seventh straight in-conference win and put Tufts tied for first with Wesleyan in the NESCAC standings. In addition, due to her dominance in both matches, senior outside hitter Jennelle Yarwood earned NESCAC player of the week honors, the first Jumbo to get this accolade since last season.
Both the Tufts men’s and women’s soccer programs traveled to Bates for games on Saturday. Each team arrived at Bates with an incredibly dominant record against its host. The Bates Bobcats’ men’s team’s last win over the Jumbos was in 2008 and they last scored a goal against the Jumbos in 2011. The Bobcats’ women’s team, on the other hand, has lost seven in a row to the Jumbos dating back to 2014. In a sudden change of fortune, however, the Bobcats’ men’s team held the Jumbos to a scoreless draw and the Bobcats’ women’s team snapped their losing streak with a 2–1 victory over the Jumbos.
The plaintiff of two Supreme Court cases against elite universities has very little interest in the politics of college athletics. Their eyes are on a bigger prize: the end of affirmative action in college admissions altogether. Yet, in their efforts to torpedo an era of campus diversity, they might accidentally destroy fencing.
The Tufts field hockey team continued its conference success with a road win against Bates over the weekend. The matchup proved competitive, as the Bates Bobcats struck first with a goal in the second quarter, but the Jumbos reset during halftime and responded with a vengeance, scoring two goals in the third quarter and maintaining the lead to secure a 2–1 victory.
We’ve reached the point of the NBA season where overreactions are more common than pessimism amongst fanbases; some are drooling over a newly-drafted rookie, and others are looking ahead towards a Larry O’Brien trophy presentation in June. In the Celtics’ case, the Garden Faithful are anticipating another NBA Finals appearance after a tumultuous offseason. And why wouldn’t they? The starting lineup from the 2022 playoffs is still intact, new free agent addition Malcolm Brogdon adds depth to an already solid bench, and Jayson Tatum had another offseason of development. Nonetheless, this offseason contained more drama than a Shakespearean play; with a now suspended head coach and injuries to Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari, a once promising season has turned dire quickly.
The Tufts football team barely lost to the Wesleyan Cardinals 26–22 in a hard fought battle away from home on Saturday. Consistently one of the top performers in the NESCAC, Wesleyan came into the game with the same record as the Jumbos, at 3–1. Last year’s matchup between these two teams resulted in a thriller where Wesleyan scored late in the fourth quarter to beat the Jumbos 36–35. This game looked to be a tight one going in as the top two scoring offenses in the conference matched up against one another.
The Invincibles. This was the title given to the Arsenal team that finished the 2003–2004 Premier League season undefeated; a feat that had only been achieved once over a 100 years ago by Preston North End. Led by the French tactician ArsèneWenger, the North London club went 49 games unbeaten in an era that included Sir Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United side and the growing power of London rival Chelsea. Etched into history, players like Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry turned into global icons as they lifted the coveted trophy. Few would have guessed that this would be the Gunners’ last title in the modern era as the club entered a difficult decade of transition, both on and off the field. For almost two decades, Arsenal fans have dreamt of winning the Premier League. Today, after years of heartbreak, they find themselves closer than ever.
Tufts made the short trip to Franklin Park in Boston to compete in the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championship on Oct. 8. The women’s and men’s cross country teams were put up against some tough competition, as they were the only Division III entry.
MLB postseason storylines
It’s not every day that a player lined up at quarterback scores three rushing touchdowns — while being labeled as a fantasy eligible tight end!
After a month of middling performances and untimely injuries, the New England Patriots enter Week 6 with a rookie quarterback at the helm and a young defense that is impressing the league. Sound familiar?
This Homecoming weekend, women’s volleyball picked up a 2–1 record after defeating NESCAC opponents Colby and Bates and losing an out-of-conference game to Hope College. On Friday, the Jumbos conquered Colby in a tight 3–2 set match, when they came back from a two-set deficit early on. On Saturday, the team had a commanding 3–0 set win over Bates and suffered a close 3–2 set loss to Hope later that day.
During unevenly matched soccer games, for the favorite to avoid an upset, one of the most effective strategies is getting out to an early lead — burying all of the underdog’s victory hopes. In Sunday’s interconference matchup against winless New England College, the United Soccer Coaches’ No. 20 ranked Tufts women’s soccer team did exactly that.
Earlier this month, Jude Bellingham made history as the youngest player to captain a Bundesliga team. The 19-year-old wore the armband for Borussia Dortmund in its game against Köln as senior captains Marco Reus and Mats Hummels were sidelined due to injury.
The stands were packed as Ellis Oval came alive on Oct. 8 for the Homecoming 2022 football game against Bowdoin College. After not having an official Homecoming for the past two years, this event was eagerly anticipated by both the players and the student body.
