2026 NESCAC MEn's SOCCER Championship
Quarterfinals
Sat., Oct. 31 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Amherst def. No. 1 Middlebury, 3-2
No. 2 Williams def. No. 7 Wesleyan, 1-0
No. 6 Hamilton def. No. 3 Bowdoin, 2-1
No. 5 Tufts tied No. 4 Conn. College, 1-1 (TUF adv. PKs, 5-3)
Semifinals
Sat., Nov. 7 at Williams
No. 8 Amherst tied No. 2 Williams, 2-2 (AMH adv. on PKs, 5-3)
No. 5 Tufts tied No. 6 Hamilton, 1-1 (TUF adv. on PKs, 4-3)
Championship Game
Sun., Nov. 8 at Williams
No. 8 Amherst vs. No. 5 Tufts – 12 p.m.
For the first time in NESCAC Men's Soccer Championship history the two semifinal matches were decided by penalty kick shootouts. The eighth-seeded Amherst Mammoths advanced past top-seeded Williams, 5-3 on penalties, while No. 5 Tufts won the shootout, 4-3, over No. 6 Hamilton.
The championship match between No. 8 Amherst and No. 5 Tufts set for Sunday, November 8 at Noon at Cole Field on the Williams campus marks just the third NESCAC Final where the two teams are a No. 5 seed or lower.
The game will be streamed for free via the
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Amherst tied Williams, 2-2 (AMH adv. on PKs, 5-3) | Box Score
Jacob Dinzeo converted the clinching penalty kick as No. 8 seed Amherst beat top-seeded Williams, 5-3, in a shootout after a 2-2 draw in the NESCAC Semifinals at Cole Field. Amherst (8-3-6), which is 6-0-5 in its last 11 matches, advances to Sunday’s championship game for the third time in five seasons and is making its 12th appearance in the final.
Finn Hoefer put the Mammoths ahead at 21:44 on a feed from Mohammed Nuhu, and Obed Opoku made it 2-0 at 22:29 off a Hoefer pass.
Williams (11-2-3) controlled the second half. Alex Bethencourt cut the lead to 2-1 at 48:38, and JJ Ruehlemann tied it at 84:48 on assists from Nick Appleton and Lorcan Mitchell to send the game to overtime.
Neither team was able to net the golden goal in two overtimes. Williams outshot Amherst 31-29, but Trey Sheppard made 13 saves for Amherst and Kai Darrell stopped 10 for Williams.
Tufts tied Hamilton, 1-1 (TUF adv. on PKs, 4-3) | Box Score
Nikola Antic made seven saves and stopped Hamilton’s first and last shootout attempts as No. 5 seed Tufts beat No. 6 seed Hamilton, 4-3, on penalty kicks to reach the NESCAC Championship game for the second straight tournament. Tufts' (9-3-5) back-to-back appearances are a first in team history, but the Jumbos have played in five of the last nine champoinship games.
Hamilton (7-4-5) outshot Tufts 19-7 and had a 17-5 edge in corner kicks, but only Troy Miller broke through. Miller, who took 10 of the Continentals’ shots, scored at 21:23 on a Zach Tracy assist.
Tufts did not get a shot until the 45th minute but tied it at 70:10 on a William Cornog penalty kick. The Jumbos played the final 46 minutes a man down and survived two scoreless overtimes.
NOTES: Amherst and Tufts played to a 3-3 draw at Amherst on October 3 ... The Mammoths own a 3-0-1 records against the Jumbos in the NESCAC Tournament ... The teams lat met in the 2023 final where Amherst posted a 1-0 win, the only times the teams have squared off in the final ... Amherst has won seven of its 11 championship game appearances ... Tufts has won four times in its five appearances in the NESCAC Championship.
Two lower seeds in the NESCAC Final (both No. 5 or lower):
2018: No. 8 Colby vs. No. 6 Williams. Colby won on PKs, 4-3, after a 0-0 draw.
2015: No. 8 Wesleyan vs. No. 6 Bowdoin. Bowdoin won 1-0 in OT.
