Tufts Stay Perfect: Helm’s Double Beats Middlebury 2-0 for Fourth NESCAC Crown
Eighteen games, eighteen wins. Tufts aren’t just unbeaten, they’re untouchable right now.
The NESCAC final at Ounjian Field was scoreless for half an hour. Middlebury, in their 17th final, were doing exactly what you have to do against this Tufts side: stay in it, stay organised, wait for a mistake. Then the third quarter happened, and Eleanor Helm happened twice.
The sophomore scored both goals in the third quarter to give top-seeded Tufts a 2-0 win over No. 2 Middlebury on Sunday. That’s 20 goals for the season for Helm, the fourth-best total in Tufts history. And it’s a fourth NESCAC title for the Jumbos, joining 2024, 2016 and 2009.
Middlebury pulled goalkeeper Izzy Redzic for an extra field player with 8:13 left. They didn’t manage a shot. Tufts saw it out. The final numbers: Tufts 11 shots to Middlebury’s 5, 6-3 on goal, Middlebury edging the corners 3-2. Tight, but the champions were the better side when it mattered.
This was the fifth Tufts-Middlebury NESCAC final, and the 37th meeting between the two overall. It rarely disappoints, and this one didn’t either. Middlebury had beaten Bowdoin 2-0 in the semifinal. Tufts had needed a late comeback and an overtime winner to get past Williams 3-2. Both arrived in form. Only one left with the trophy.
The win stretches Tufts’ overall winning run to 23 games, dating back to their opening-round victory in last year’s NCAA Tournament. They’ll be named a Regional host when the NCAA field is announced on Sunday night, with those games at Ounjian next weekend, 14-15 November. Middlebury fall to 15-3, and they’ve got a strong chance of hosting NCAA games too.
For our money, Tufts are the team to beat in Division III right now. Unbeaten, a 20-goal scorer in form, and a side that wins finals even when the other team makes it horrible for half an hour. That’s what champions look like.
