FINAL RUN: Rui Pinheiro races up the field in action last fall during his junior season with the Tufts University men’s soccer team. Pinheiro, a former Princeton Day School standout, helped the Jumbos win the NCAA Division III title in 2014. The midfielder will get his senior campaign underway on September 8 when Tufts plays at Endicott in its season opener. (Photo by Alonso Nichols /Tufts)

Coming into the 2014 season, Rui Pinheiro and his teammates on the Tufts University men’s soccer team were just hoping to have a chance to play in the postseason.

“In August we set some goals and just getting to the NCAA tournament was a huge goal for us,” recalled midfielder Pinheiro, a former standout at Princeton Day School.

After going 10-1-4 overall and 7-0-3 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in regular season play to finish first in league standings, Tufts was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament by virtue of a 2-1 loss to Connecticut College, leaving the goal of an NCAA appearance in jeopardy.

“It was a huge question mark if we were going to have another game, there was nothing else we could do,” said Pinheiro.

“We kept an eye on the other results. We wanted the top-seeded teams to win. We went to practice every day for two weeks and tried to keep the work rate up.”

Tufts ended up getting an at-large bid to the NCAA tourney and made the best of it, winning six straight games on the way to the national title, the first in program history.

As Pinheiro prepares for his senior season, which starts on September 8 when Tufts plays at Endicott, the Jumbos aren’t just looking to make the NCAA tourney.

“We will come up with another set of goals,” said Pinheiro, who was joined on the title-winning squad by former PDS teammate Maxime Hoppenot along with Princeton High standouts Zach Halliday and Kevin Halliday and Princeton resident Peter Lee-Kramer.

“Because of last year, it will be elevated, everyone will be more confident. We have been through it before and we know it is possible.”

When Tufts started NCAA play last season, it brought an elevated intensity into the competition, feeling it was getting a new lease on life by simply getting the chance to take part.

“I don’t think that tactically anything changed,” said Pinheiro. “Kevin Halliday was back. It was a mixture of everybody being healthy and getting a second chance. I think it was our mentality that pushed us.”

The Jumbos displayed a winning mentality, topping Dickinson 2-1, Wheaton (Mass.) 2-0, Muhlenberg 2-0, and perennial power Messiah 1-0 to book a spot in the Final Four and a matchup with Ohio Wesleyan in the national semis.

“I was honestly more nervous for the semis; being there for the first time was something out of the ordinary,” said Pinheiro.

“We don’t fly to games, our longest drive is six hours. Having the reception with all four teams and getting dressed up, it was a spectacle. Being on the field before a crowd like that was different. That game really gave us confidence, it got everybody accustomed to the field.”

Defeating Ohio Wesleyan 3-0, Tufts was primed to knock off Wheaton (Ill.) in the title game.

“We were more comfortable in the final, we were able to impose our game on them,” said Pinheiro.

Pinheiro helped Tufts seize control of the championship game as he assisted Lee-Kramer on a goal late in the first half to put the Jumbos ahead 1-0.

“Max got fouled outside the box; I was on the left side of the wall with a space to get it inside the six in a dangerous area,” recalled Pinheiro.

“With Peter and Sam (Williams), they are big and imposing guys in the box, one of them could get to it or it could ricochet off of someone and that is what happened.”

Tufts built a 3-0 lead early on the second half before Wheaton responded with two straight goals. The Jumbos added a late tally to seal the deal in a 4-2 triumph.

“I wouldn’t say I was concerned but it was nerve-wracking,” said Pinheiro, reflecting on the second half of the title contest.

“I had confidence in our team and how we play. Everyone woke up and we withstood the pressure. That last goal took a lot of pressure off.”

Looking back on the title run, it seems like a dream to Pinheiro. “It is still surreal, it still feels like it was yesterday and ‘did that just happen,’” said Pinheiro.

“Everything fell into place. We did a lot to put ourselves in that position, we played hard and we had good players.”

Sharing the title with his Princeton-area teammates was icing on the cake for Pinheiro.

“It is definitely special doing it with those guys,” said Pinheiro. “Max and I always joke that we have passed it to each other the most in our careers, playing at PDS and playing outside school. We have that connection on the field. I knew Peter from playing against him. I knew the Hallidays from PHS, it is good to go back home with them.”

Pinheiro showed his passing ability last fall, leading the Jumbos with eight assists.

“I think it was our style of play and the guys starting up front are all older; it is getting to know how everyone played,” said the 5’10, 150-pound Pinheiro.

“It is understanding their strengths and getting the ball to where they want it. Set pieces was a big part of it, it just clicked.”

With the 2015 season around the corner, Pinheiro is hoping that things will click again this fall for the Jumbos.

“Everyone is itching to get out there together again,” said Pinheiro. “With last season, there is an extra buzz and anticipation for the fall.

Pinheiro, for his part, is itching to go out with a bang in his last college campaign.

“I have been doing a lot of running and playing pick up when I can,” said Pinheiro. “It is a double-edged sword. As I go into it, I realize my soccer days are coming to an end but I am also excited to get back and get the season going.”