MEDFORD, Mass. - First-year defender Alex Johnson scored off of a half-volley on a free kick service from Mason Shultz in the second half, and that proved to be the game-winning tally as the No. 1 Tufts University men's soccer team punched its ticket to the NCAA Final Four with a thrilling 2-1 win over No. 10 Bowdoin College in play from Bello Field. 

The Jumbos (18-1-3) move into into the NCAA Semifinals of the 2025 Division III Tournament and will face St. Olaf College on December 5 at Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. It wil be the fifth appearance for the Jumbos in the NCAA Semifinals, as Tufts is searching for its fifth national crown. Tufts won the 2016 crown in Salem, Virginia, knocking off Calvin College that season for their second NCAA title. 

Tufts and Bowdoin had played to a draw in the last three matches, while the last seven games have been either ties or one-score games. 

The Jumbos got on the board in the 16th minute after junior Xavier Canfin picked up the second corner kick of the game for Tufts. On the ensuring set piece, Daniel Yanez played a ball into the mix near the back post, where it struck the back of a head of a Polar Bear defender and on goal. Alex Ainsworth made a good save to keep the ball out, but junior Ben Brown left-footed the loose ball in for the opener for the Jumbos. The score was the Brown's third of the season. 

Tufts nearly doubled its lead in the 22nd minute, as Ellis Denby was put in alone by Canfin but he couldn't finish the through ball as it stayed 1-0. Bowdoin started to get into the game after that point, and would equalize in the 43rd minute as Felipe Duran scored off a nice cross towards the top of the box by Paul Surkov to tie the game going into halftime. Both teams took four shots in the first half. 

The Polar Bears would have the the ball for a decent amount of time in the second stanza, and had a solid chance by Mateo Pacelli stopped by Nikola Antic in the 50th minute. 

The game-winner would come in the 75th minute though, as Henry Brown drew a foul about 40 yards off to the right side in front of the Jumbos' bench. Shultz played a brilliant free kick into the box, and the first-year calmly finished out of the air with a rocket into the right corner to make it 2-1. 

Bowdoin had the ball for a lot of the final 18 minutes as Tufts went into defensive mode, but the Polar Bears would manage just three shots over the rest of regulation in closing out the win. 

Bowdoin posted a 11-9 edge in shots, along with a 6-4 shots on goal advantage, while also earning an 8-3 corner kick lead. It was the second all-time meeting between Tufts and Bowdoin in the NCAA Tournament, as Tufts posted a 3-1 win over Bowdoin in the NCAA Third Round back in 2000. 

It will be the first NCAA Final Four appearance for head coach Kyle Dezotell, who is making his sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.