With the varsity squad saving its legs for late-season action, the freshmen of the men's cross country team stepped up to the starting line and led the team to a seventh-place finish at the UMass Dartmouth Shriners Invitational on Saturday.
While one goal would have been enough, the field hockey team continued its season-long offensive outpouring over the weekend.
The women's soccer team moved to 2-0 on the season with an impressive 2-0 victory over Conn. College Saturday in a home game the Jumbos dominated from the get-go.
Saturday saw the Tufts offense rush for 247 yards — their highest single-game total since 2004 — en route to a 20-14 win over the Wesleyan Cardinals. The Jumbo rushing attack was lead by senior Will Forde, who recorded 133 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Saturday's performance was by far the best game of Forde's four-year collegiate career, and the first time the senior running back cracked the century mark. "I think I had one 99 yard game last year, so I was pretty excited [about breaking the 100 yard mark]," Forde said. Down 7-0 late in the second quarter, Tufts' offense faced a key third and three in Wesleyan territory. With 1:19 seconds left, Forde took a handoff from junior quarterback Anthony Fucillo, cut to the outside and charged down the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown. Trailing 14-7 at halftime, the Jumbos quickly regained momentum on the very first play of the third quarter. Sophomore return specialist Pat Bailey took the opening kickoff back 33 yards to Wesleyan's 49-yard line, leaving the door wide open for the offense. Fucillo was phenomenal on the drive, completing all three of his pass attempts, but once the Jumbos got down inside the five yard line, Forde struck again. On second and goal from the one, coach Bill Samko called Forde's number and the senior tailback plunged into the end zone for his second score of the contest. Tufts would go on to take a 20-14 lead on its next drive. After swapping possessions twice, the Jumbos' offense came back on the field with 5:59 left in the game. Starting at their own 16 yard line, the Jumbos had one thing on their minds: running down the clock. After running Forde into the ground for the first three and a half quarters, Samko inserted third-down back junior Darren Ferguson into the game. Ferguson had only carried the ball once at that point in the game, and his fresh legs were deadly against a worn-down Wesleyan defense. Ferguson, however, attributed the success of the team's fourth quarter running game more to the Jumbo's offensive strategy than Wesleyan's fatigue. "The coaches have been really smart in the way they give us our rest and recovery periods," Ferguson said. "It might not have been how worn down [the Cardinals] were but rather how well conditioned we were." Ferguson was outstanding on the game's final drive, carrying five times for 53 yards. The highlight of the drive came on a second and one from the Jumbo 44-yard-line when Ferguson took a handoff and rumbled 27 yards downfield — a carry that essentially sealed the game for Tufts. "Darren is a great back," Forde said. "He's very physical, which is a nice change of pace from me. We have a great deal of confidence in him, and I look forward to watching him play the rest of the season." At one point, Ferguson nearly scored a touchdown but was pushed out of bounds at the four-yard line. The third-down back realized that he should have tried to stay in bounds to keep the clock moving but said that adrenaline completely took over. "I saw the end zone and just tried to go," Ferguson said. If Ferguson runs the rest of the season the way he ran in the fourth quarter, he's bound to find the end zone sooner or later, and if he and Forde can repeat their rushing feats from Saturday, Tufts will likely enjoy more victories in the future.
The volleyball team successfully defended its perfect record this weekend, improving to 8-0 and starting its 2008 NESCAC campaign with a pair of decisive wins over Bowdoin and Bates in Lewiston, Maine.
After a week in which the men's soccer team managed just one goal in almost 220 minutes of play, the Jumbos needed only 160 seconds to break through Saturday, earning a 2-1 victory over NESCAC rival Conn. College. The win moves Tufts to 1-1-0 in the NESCAC and 3-1-1 overall.
When the football team last faced Wesleyan at home in 2004, it fell to the visiting Cardinals in a 37-7 drubbing. That loss also marked the last time the Jumbos dropped their opening game of the season, a streak kept alive Saturday when Tufts came back to defeat Wesleyan 20-14 on Zimman Field.
As a new season of international soccer gears up for the fall schedule, fans will encounter some considerably different squads compared to those that competed in the spring. In England, Spain and Italy, especially, summer transfers have rearranged the lineups, the effects of which have yet to be seen.
Come Sunday, the last game in the history of Yankee Stadium is going to be played.
Four days after its dramatic double-overtime loss to Colby in its first NESCAC game of the season, the men's soccer team found itself battling through two extra periods once again, this time on the road against New England College (NEC). But while the loss to the Mules ended after a last-second goal, the offensive drought for both squads Wednesday night lasted through two overtime periods and the contest finished in a 0-0 tie — Tufts' first such scoreless affair since an Oct. 2, 1999 contest against Bates.
The golf team opened its season with an average showing over the weekend, finishing seventh out of 14 teams at the Bowdoin Invitational.
On the heels of a 13-1 record and consecutive third-place finishes in the Div. III National Collegiate Club Championships, the Tufts water polo team is aiming even higher this season.
In the past 220 minutes of play, the men's soccer team has not recorded a win.
After a disappointing end to the 2007-08 season which left Tufts out of the national championship regatta for the first time in several years, the Jumbos are looking to rebound in full force.
Although you wouldn't know it, there is a national tennis champion in our midst.
Manny being Manny. Bill Belichick sporting his gray sweatshirt. John Madden making comments like, "They're going to have to put together a long drive if they want to score."
On Tuesday night, the field hockey team found itself facing a handful of firsts: It was the Jumbos' first game away from home, their first game on Astroturf and their first game against a nationally ranked opponent in the No. 16 Babson Beavers, who were a perfect 4-0 heading into the game.
Another match, another win. So it has gone for the volleyball team, the last remaining undefeated squad in the NESCAC.
4 The number of seconds remaining in the second overtime of the men's soccer team's matchup with Colby on Saturday when the Mules scored the winning goal. The 2-1 loss in Tufts' first NESCAC contest of the season brought its record to 0-1-0 in the conference, 2-1-0 overall. Sophomore midfielder Ron Coleman came up with the Jumbos' lone score in the contest.
