Men’s soccer, field hockey, and volleyball all will be taking part in the Division III tournaments
Three Tufts sports teams are headed to NCAA postseason tournament play this month: men’s soccer, field hockey, and volleyball.
The men’s soccer team will host NCAA tournament regional action at Bello Field this weekend (November 13-14) after the Jumbos received their 10th berth into the tournament. Tufts (13-1-3) are hosting the first and second rounds for the fourth straight NCAA tournament.
The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) champion Jumbos will host New England Collegiate Conference champions New England College (9-6-2) in the first round on November 13 at 1 p.m.
MAC Freedom Conference champs Stevens Institute of Technology (12-6-2) plays Swarthmore College (11-4-2) in Saturday’s other first-round game at 3:30 p.m. Swarthmore received an at-large berth. Saturday’s winners will meet in the regional final on November 14 at 3 p.m. for a berth into the Sweet 16. All three NCAA regional matches at Tufts’ Bello Field will be webcast.
Tufts is the two-time defending NCAA champion and has won four of the last six Division III titles: 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019. With this year’s berth, Tufts has now reached the NCAA tournament seven consecutive times dating back to 2014. The program has a 27-5-2 record in NCAA tournament games.
The Jumbos were the number three seed in the NESCAC this season with a 6-1-3 record. Head coach Kyle Dezotell’s team won their second straight conference championship at Connecticut College defeating Middlebury College 1-0 in the semifinals and then Connecticut College 2-0 in the final on November 7.
Field Hockey Hosts Johnson & Wales University
The Tufts field hockey team earned its 12th berth into the NCAA Division III Championship on November 7.
Head coach Tina Mattera’s Jumbos (13-4) received an at-large berth into the 26-team NCAA tournament field, and will host Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in a first round game on November 10 at Ounjian Field.
The winner of the Tufts-JWU game will travel to a regional at Middlebury College on November 13-14. Regional winners will advance to the NCAA Final Four to be played at Trinity College on November 20-21.
Tufts, ranked fourth in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll, is one of four New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) teams to get into the NCAA tournament. Regional host Middlebury and first-round hosts Bowdoin and Trinity are also in.
The Jumbo program has an 19-10 overall mark in NCAA tournament play. Tufts won the 2012 national title under Mattera, becoming the first women’s team at Tufts to win an NCAA championship. They were also the national runner-up in 2008, 2016, and 2018.
Volleyball Travels to Baltimore for the NCAA Regional
Head coach Cora Thompson’s volleyball team earned its 11th NCAA Division III tournament berth and the fourth since 2016 when the Jumbos received an at-large invitation into the 64-team tournament field.
Tufts (18-5) will travel to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore for an eight-team NCAA regional later this week. The Jumbos will play the Eastern University Eagles (24-5) in the first round on Friday, November 12.
The regional teams will be playing for a berth into the NCAA quarterfinals, which will be held in St. Louis November 18-20.
The Jumbos have a 13-10 record overall in their 10 previous NCAA berths (1996, 2005, 2008-11, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019). They won regionals and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2009 and 2016.
To find the latest in Jumbo sports news, go to the Tufts Athletics website.