Rain Steers Clear of Jumbos' Parade this Spring Break

The Tufts men's lacrosse team improves to 5-0 in spite of eight hour bus rides, rain delays, and Stevenson All-American attackman, Jimmy Dailey.
[published in the March 28 edition of 'The Tufts Daily.']

             For the No. 1 men’s lacrosse team, the last week has been anything but a vacation. While Tufts students enjoyed spring break, the team set out on a seven-day, three-game campaign, during which they toured the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The Jumbos improved to 5-0, taking on and defeating two conference rivals and the No. 2 team in the nation. 

Saturday, the Jumbos traveled to NESCAC rival Williams. The Purple Cows proved no match for a tired but well-conditioned Tufts squad. After sophomore midfielder Will Stewart gave Williams the first lead, Tufts scored six times in a row and never again trailed in the contest, which they won 12-6.

Tufts was led by senior quad-captain attackmen Ryan Molloy and D.J. Hessler, who each had three goals; Molloy also had three assists, while Hessler had two, and freshman attackman Jack McDermott netted his first goal of the season.

Junior goalkeeper Steven Foglietta posted 17 saves and senior quad-captain defenseman Alec Bialosky led the Jumbos with six groundballs, while defenders, junior Mark Findaro and freshman Dan Alles, tied junior midfielder Nick Rhoads with four.

The previous Sunday, the team traveled to Baltimore, Md., to take on the No. 2 Stevenson Mustangs. Come gameday, the matchup, set to begin at 4 PM, was postponed to an 8 PM start at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The plan, intended to avoid afternoon storms, backfired as weather conditions deteriorated and an onslaught of thunderstorms set on shortly before the opening whistle was set to blow.

After two additional delays, the players took the field and at 9:38 PM, Rhoads and the Mustangs’ senior Ray Witte stepped up to the X.

“In the locker room we tried to not let [the delays] affect us at all. Personally I was pretty antsy because we’d been sitting there so long but everyone handled it pretty well,” sophomore defensive-midfielder Sam Diss said.

 “We stretched two or three times inside,” he added. “So we were focused from the beginning and came out strong.”

The Jumbos went on to clinch a stunning victory, but it was not until the final seconds that the 14-13 result seemed definite. In the gritty, down-to-the-wire contest, both teams played a full sixty minutes and proved why they are the nation’s top squads.

After senior quad-captain midfielder Matt Witko kicked off scoring for an early Jumbos lead, the Mustangs responded with consecutive scores from senior attackmen Richie Ford and First-Team All-American Jimmy Dailey, who on the goal became Stevenson’s all-time leading points getter.

Early in the third quarter, Tufts held its largest lead of the game at 10-6, but Stevenson’s persistent squad remained within three points until it closed to within one on a goal from sophomore attackman Tyler Reid with 2:34 remaining.

In the final minutes, Stevenson senior midfielder Neal Barthelme and freshman midfielder Tony Rossi each rattled off shots that were denied by the post and Foglietta respectively, but a crucial man-advantage allowed the Jumbos to succeed in a game of keep-away as the clock ticked to zero.

“We knew coming into the game that it was going to be run-and-gun,” Diss said. “At the end of the game we were just playing solid [defense] on them and they were putting up shots. We wanted to make sure that those shots were the most difficult for them and the best for [Foglietta].”

“Stevenson definitely got a lot of shots off but the defense really kept them down the wings rather than letting them inside,” Foglietta added. “That made my job much easier.”

In the matchup, which concluded around 11:40 PM, Tufts’ juniors shined. Midfielder Kevin McCormick scored three goals and three assists, while classmate attackman Sean Kirwan added four goals for a then-season total of 20. Hessler and Witko tied Kirwan with three goals and an assist each.

Barthelme led the Mustangs with four goals and an assist, but Tufts’ defense produced uncharacteristic offensive struggles for Stevenson, who fired off 76 shots (to the Jumbos’ 35) in a losing effort. Foglietta posted an outstanding 24 saves, again proving himself a dominant goalkeeper in high-pressure situations.

“It was more about staying even-keeled and never getting too excited or too down,” Foglietta said. “Really after each save it was, ‘get it up the field and we’ll get the next one.’ We’re always looking forward to the next possession, the next shot, the next clear.”

The Jumbos consistently limited Dailey’s options, and the powerhouse attackman finished the contest with a single goal and three assists. Led by Bialosky, who had a team-high three forced turnovers, Tufts’ defense held off perhaps the second most prolific scoring unit in the nation.

 “We have solid poles and if a short-stick was on Dailey, we knew a slide was coming early,” Diss said. “We try to play in a way that it doesn’t really matter who’s covering who and Coach [Brett] Holm’s philosophy is that it doesn’t matter who you’re on; we trust you to play good defense on them.”

Strong play from Diss and freshmen long-poles Kane Delaney and Dan Alles supplemented defensive efforts by sophomores Sam Gardner, Matt Callahan, and John Heard, and facilitated the Jumbos’ transition game.

In a physical game won by attrition, brute force, and mental toughness, the Jumbos overcame winning just 11-of-30 faceoffs and capitalized on scoring opportunities to capture the victory.

The previous Saturday, the Jumbos hosted the Colby Mules in their second NESCAC matchup of the season, and like Wednesday, rode the successes of Kirwan and McCormick, who each tallied five goals in the effort, to a 14-9 victory at Bello Field.

Colby sophomore midfielder Ian Deveau, who had four goals and an assist on the day, gave the Mules an early 1-0 lead just 1:16 into the game, but McCormick responded with two goals of his own, and Tufts never again trailed the Mules. As the first half concluded, Tufts scored four times in the final 2:36 to pull ahead 8-2.

            Tufts struggled to possess and settle the ball for much of the game, and Colby senior tri-captain Craig Bunker captured 18 of 26 faceoffs for the Mules, but the Jumbos relied on a solid 12-save performance from Foglietta and their ability to convert on man-up opportunities in order to preserve their lead and hold on to their second in-conference win. 


[photos: Stevenson University via GoMustangs on flickr.]

Tufts Lords over Amherst in 13-9 Opener Win

This article appeared in the March 14 edition of "The Tufts Daily."

If Saturday was any indication, the men's lacrosse team has no intention of relinquishing its No. 1 national ranking anytime soon.

Junior attackman Sean Kirwan scored a game−high six goals and senior quad−captain attackman D.J. Hessler tallied four assists for the Jumbos, who never trailed NESCAC rival Amherst and rolled over the visiting Lord Jeffs 13−9 on Bello Field in the season−opener.

Senior midfielder Matt Witko kicked off the scoring assault at 13:20 with an unassisted goal past Amherst freshman goalkeeper Greg Majno. Shortly after, senior quad−captain Alec Bialosky and sophomore Matt Callahan, both defensemen, forced a turnover off the Lord Jeffs' counter−attack, allowing Hessler to put Tufts up 2−0.

At the end of the first quarter, the Jumbos led 5−1 on scores from three additional players: Kirwan, senior quad−captain attackman Ryan Molloy and junior midfielder Kevin McCormick. For Amherst, junior co−captain midfielder Evan Redwood fed a ball to sophomore midfielder Ramsey Bates for the Jeffs' lone score of the period.

"The biggest thing was that Tufts was the first team we've seen that actually stretched out on us," Redwood said. "I can't really speak to how their youngness played into that, but I know they definitely came out at us and that was difficult."

In the second period, Amherst struck quickly, netting back−to−back scores in a 14−second span. Kirwan and Witko each scored twice more, however, and McCormick converted on an extra−man opportunity, while Redwood tacked on another assist and a goal of his own in a four−score quarter for the Jeffs, narrowing the Tufts lead to 10−5 at halftime.

The second half was significantly lower−scoring, as Amherst opened the third quarter with goals by Bates and junior attackman Cole Cherney, before Kirwan notched Tufts' lone third−quarter tally to make the score 11−7.

Kirwan continued his scoring assault in the fourth quarter, finding the net twice in the first three minutes off feeds from Hessler and Witko, bumping the Jumbos' lead to six goals.

The Jeffs, however, had the last say in their losing effort. With eight minutes remaining, freshman attackman Devin Acton, scored his second goal of the game on a feed from junior midfielder Alex Fox, while classmate midfielder Aaron Mathias recorded a score with 12 seconds remaining.

Despite defensive lapses, including the one that gave Mathias his second goal at the end of regulation, the young Tufts defense proved in the season−opener that it can pressure the ball and shut down skilled attackers. Fox and Redwood, who last year led the Lord Jeffs in scoring, were held yesterday to a total of one goal and three assists.

Sophomore defenseman Sam Gardner came up with five ground balls, while Callahan and John Heard, also a sophomore defenseman, had big games as well. Junior goalkeeper Steven Foglietta recorded 12 saves on the day.

"The Tufts style of play is a lot of fun," said Callahan, who transferred in from Div. I Fairfield. "We like pushing it a lot and a couple of the goals we gave up were just little mistakes.

"We didn't go out with any matchups, we just focused on sliding and reporting," he added. "Our defense is really young. There are a lot of sophomores. Sam Diss and [junior] Will Duryea are both defensive middies, and played really well. Once they have some good experience they're just going to get better."

The Jumbos' strong defensive effort extended to the midfield, where Diss and freshman Dan Alles assisted on clears and effectively pressured the Jeffs. Diss, who had four ground balls, demonstrated his growth from last season, and was instrumental to the Jumbos' transition game. 

On the other end of that transition game were the Jumbos’ midfielders and attackers, who demonstrated that the breadth of Tufts' scoring threats extended well beyond the dynamic duo of Molloy and Hessler. While Kirwan dominated the stat sheet on Saturday, five Jumbos scored, and seven of Tufts' 13 scores were assisted. Witko finished the day with three goals and two assists, while McCormick also notched two scores for the Jumbos.

"We try to get everyone in the flow of the offense," Witko said. "We drive the transition down the field and that's what we do every game. We're an up-tempo team and we're athletic so we're just pushing and given any break, we try to take that break. We thrive on that; organized chaos, that's what we do."

Hessler and Molloy demonstrated their confidence in Kirwan, McCormick, and Witko, and the Jumbos exploited a wealth of scoring talent, a depth advantage that could prove crucial in later matchups.

"We have a lot of weapons when we have our guys out there," Kirwan said. "Without a doubt, anybody that we put on the field has the opportunity to put the ball in the net and it just goes to show you how good our team is."

The Tufts midfield dominated control of the ball, giving its attackmen countless opportunities to score. Junior faceoff specialist Nick Rhoads picked up 15 of 25 faceoffs, and led Tufts with seven ground balls. The Jumbos, who converted on 20 of 29 clears, demonstrated their ability to transition quickly, a talent that left Amherst defenders unprepared and unorganized.

"The first quarter they kind of took it to us real quick with that run−and−gun, but after that we kind of slowed them down. That was our goal on offense, to slow them down and get our looks," Redwood said.

By outscoring the Jumbos 4−3 in the second half, the Lord Jeffs demonstrated that they are a resilient unit that will not give up easily in close games. But Tufts never lost control of the contest, nor its grip on the top spot in the rankings.

Kirwan Leads No. 1 Jumbos Past Amherst, 13-9

My first In-Game Blog and Post-Game recap on "Inside Lacrosse."

Junior attackman Sean Kirwan led the Jumbos with six goals in yesterday's defeat of NESCAC rival Amherst at Bello Field (Medford, Mass.)

Jumbos and Jeffs Prepare for Rematch

As published in the March 11 edition of "The Tufts Daily."
On Saturday at 1 p.m., Tufts' national No. 1 men's lacrosse team will take to Bello Field and duke it out with Amherst in a rematch of the 2010 season-opener, in which the Jumbos dismantled the host Lord Jeffs 18-8. This year, on home turf, Tufts hopes to kick off the season with a repeat performance.

But standing in the Jumbos' way is a new Amherst coach and a squad determined to avenge last year's blowout. Jon Thompson — former head coach for Colby's program — has taken the helm for the maturing Jeffs, while Tufts alum Evan Crosby (LA '10), a defender from 2010's national championship team, joins Thompson to assist from an unfamiliar bench.

 Last spring, the Jeffs graduated their highest goal-scorer in attackman Thomas McDonnell (31 goals) and will look to last season's top point-scorers, junior midfielder Alex Fox (26 goals, 10 assists) and classmate and co-captain Evan Redwood, an offensive midfielder who recorded 20 goals and 16 assists, to match Fox's 36 points.

    

Last season, the Jeffs posted a solid 5-4 NESCAC record, and topped some of the conference's best teams, including Bowdoin. They struggled, however, in their March 13 matchup with Tufts. Although Fox and Redwood helped the Jeffs to an early 2-0 lead, the Jumbos went on to score eight straight goals in the first period.

The Jumbos, however, do not want to focus on last year's result, and prefer to set their sights on Saturday's game. Senior quad-captain attackman Ryan Molloy pointed out that despite last year's score, the Jumbos cannot take Amherst for granted.


"Last year we were just really fired up to get out there," he said. "In that game they had a few key injuries and they're a great team so they're definitely going to be more competitive this year and we have to be ready for that."

 This year, Amherst senior defender Parker Holcomb may assist junior Brian McFeely at the faceoff circle; *Holcomb led the team with 49 ground balls. Additionally, senior captain defender Gabe Mann must rally the Jeffs' defensive unit to face the NESCAC's most prolific offense.

While Amherst returns with the majority of its strongest starters, the Jumbos could have an advantage when it comes to depth. At every position, Tufts has experienced players who did not start in '10 but recorded impressive figures and made large contributions outside the record-books, including sophomore defensive midfielder Sam Diss, who played in every game last season.

"This year we really have to work on getting the chemistry going between the team and then I think we'll be a really solid defense," Diss said. "[Sophomore John] Heard played a lot last year and this year we also have [sophomore Div. I transfer] Matt Callahan. The guys who got playing time last year really got a head start coming into the season and that'll really help us come together and get things going."

Senior attackman Brian Donovan, who scored two goals in last year's win over Amherst, is recovering from knee surgery and will not play this Saturday, but explained that the young Jumbos' experience at all positions gives Tufts a large advantage.

"The best thing about our depth is that we can produce some really good mismatches on the offense," Donovan said. "Because we're so deep we can really go to anybody and target the weakest defender on Amherst and go there and not just rely on D.J. and Molloy."

 Amherst's Matt Cahn, a sophomore defender who played in 11 of the Jeffs' 14 games in 2010, gained substantial minutes, and will be a valuable asset to Thompson. Other Amherst defenders, however, excluding Holcomb and Mann, have significantly less collegiate experience than Tufts' defensemen — most notably pre-season All-American long-stick midfielder and senior quad-captain Alec Bialosky.

The Jeffs' veteran defenders will have to step up against Tufts' menacing lineup to prevent another rattling defeat. The Jumbos' well-rounded cast of scoring threats could both distract the Jeffs and spread their defense vulnerably thin.

"Offensively we're really just trying to diagnose the defense early," Donovan said. "We're really much more worried as a team about our Tufts offense rather than the Amherst defense. We're gonna try to go all out and just find the back of the net."

The No. 1 Jumbos certainly have the upper hand when it comes to firepower and experience, but Amherst's accomplished midfield and attack outfits proved in later games last season that they can hit a corner or two, as well.

"We know that we're getting their best game and they know that they're getting our best game so we're just trying to prepare for that," junior attackman Sean Kirwan said. "We're going to go out there like any other game to try to get to that 1-0."

5 Keys to Staying No. 1

This article appeared in the March 9 edition of The Tufts Daily.

Last season, the men's lacrosse team powered its way to an impressive 20-1 record and pocketed the school's first NCAA Div. III National Championship. This year, coach Mike Daly and his team are ranked No. 1 in the country and head into this weekend's opener with a target on their backs. After graduating several crucial players, the Jumbos must ignore the hype and focus on fundamentals. By reconstructing their defense, maintaining last year's offensive gains, perfecting the basics and staying healthy, the Jumbos have the potential to reproduce last year's successes. Here are five key areas for them to focus on.

1. Keeping the defense strong. A young Tufts defense must step up to fill the shoes left by last year's seniors. Last spring, Tufts graduated tri-captain Eytan Saperstein (LA '10), a gritty defenseman who, with 90 ground balls, consistently forced turnovers and set the pace for the Jumbos' defense. His departure leaves a void that the Jumbos' younger defensemen must fill. Senior quad-captain Alec Bialosky, who racked in 69 ground balls last season, leads a capable defensive squad.

Sophomore Matt Callahan, a transfer from Div. I Fairfield, will be an essential component of the Jumbos' new defensive unit. Sophomores Sam Gardner and John Heard, who both gained critical in-game experience last season, are expected to step up as well, and keep up last year's pace of holding opponents to a .211 conversion percentage in man-up situations.

2. Amping up the attack. As opposed to the defensive unit, the Jumbos are returning with the entire starting attacking group from a year ago. Last season, Tufts' offensive leaders dominated opponents, gaining nationwide recognition. Senior quad-captain D.J. Hessler, who tied for the most points scored in the NESCAC, tallied 37 goals and was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's All-American team. Fellow senior and quad-captain Ryan Molloy was quick on his heels with 36 goals. Hessler and Molloy also led the team with 54 and 29 assists, respectively.

While the Jumbos outscored opponents 268 to 174 last season, it is even more notable that only 103 of their goals were unassisted. This statistic speaks to the Jumbos' ability to work together in a team-oriented offensive strategy. Junior Sean Kirwan, who led the team with 49 goals, also returns as a formidable threat. Tufts must look for continued offensive dominance from these players and must continue to pressure defenses even when shorthanded, something they did last season, when the Jumbos scored six man-down goals.

3. Maintaining focus. Another key this season will be the degree to which the unit can ignore the hype of its top ranking. Not only does a No. 1-preseason ranking bring increased pressure and scrutiny to a team, it also warrants attention and challenges from rivals. With threatening teams like No. 2 ranked Stevenson on its schedule, the Jumbos must keep their noses to the grindstone, allowing neither expectation nor intimidation to affect their performance.

4. Mechanics Last season, Tufts was the most penalized team in the NESCAC, posting an in-conference-penalties-per-game-average of 5.11. It would be wise for the Jumbos to clean up their fundamentals in order to reduce the number of man-down scenarios their young defense must face.

The area in which the Jumbos dominated opponents last year was groundballs, scooping up 829 to opponents' 691. By maintaining this margin and controlling the ball, Tufts can severely limit the time of possession for other teams. The defense and midfield must force turnovers and capitalize on these opportunities, in order to give a skilled and experienced offense the opportunity to do what it does best.

5. Staying Healthy Facing several preseason injuries to key players, the Jumbos must stay healthy throughout the season. Kirwan is currently out with a broken hand, and senior attacker Brian Donovan is rehabilitating after undergoing knee surgery. Callahan, who has a bruised rib, is out for now but expected to return soon. If Tufts returns these players and stays healthy this spring, it has all the tools necessary to keep that No. 1 ranking all year long.

Judgment Day: Former Marine Brings Battlefield Lessons to Bello

This story was originally published in the March 4 edition of The Tufts Daily.

The men's lacrosse team may not have any scrimmages lined up for the last Saturday before the start of its regular season, but that hardly means a weekend off for the Jumbos. On Sunday and Monday, the team will hit the pool deck, the gym and the practice field, as it participates in its second−annual Judgment Day training program, as the team has dubbed it.

Hosted by Program Athletics, based in Woburn, Mass., the two−day program aims to improve teamwork and develop leadership skills. Coach Mike Daly (LA '95) implemented the program last spring after Program Athletics employee and former Marine Eric Kapitulik reached out to Tufts. Over the course of two days, the Jumbos were pushed to their physical and mental limit. The team last year won the school's first Div. III NCAA team championship.

This year, a young squad adds 13 freshmen to the 44−man roster, and with just over a week until the Jumbos' March 12 season−opener against NESCAC−rival Amherst, the team hopes to reinforce the skills Judgment Day emphasizes.

"I was able to see some of what the team participated in last year during [senior Arlin Ladue's] documentary, ‘Road to the Championship' (2010), but I don't really know what to expect," first−year attackman Jack McDermott said. "Judging by what I've heard from the upperclassmen, it's challenging, yet an incredibly worthwhile experience for our betterment."

The team's seasoned veterans can anticipate some of what Kapitulik will demand of them, but senior quad−captain Ryan Molloy said that even returning players could be in for a few twists when Sunday afternoon rolls around.

"All of the guys who competed in Judgment Day last year tried to instill what we learned into the freshmen and create recurring themes for them," Molloy, an attackman, said. "I think we are a little more prepared this year, but at the same time, we have no idea what they're going to throw at us, so it's almost like we're going into it blind again."

Last year, the Jumbos' were pushed to their physical boundaries, treading water in full sweatsuits and carrying teammates the length of a lacrosse field. But the program also tested players' mental strength and leadership capacities. Daly has stressed mental toughness during the offseason.

"Personally, the most challenging part of Judgment Day is when you're called out to lead the team," Molloy said. "You have to remember all the instructions, compete in all the events and delegate to teammates what you want them to do. But that's also the most beneficial part."

From their American−flag−themed helmets to their camouflaged shooting shirts, patriotism is a core principle for Daly's squad. The team aims to emulate the military's values of commitment each time it takes the field.

The military presence at Judgment Day puts the Jumbos' season in perspective.

"If people are willing to risk their lives for a greater cause, then we should certainly be able to focus and practice in a game," McDermott said.

The Jumbos feel that they are well conditioned for Kapitulik's challenge. Throughout the fall, the team worked out during captains' practices and conditioned in the weight room almost daily to reach their physical peaks for the season.

"One thing we learned last year was never to just get through something but to attack it," junior midfielder Kevin McCormick said. "That's something about Judgment Day. There's no way to get by doing the bare minimum. I think our upperclassmen will really help the young guys, too, but we're going to really work at pushing it."

The veterans also feel that they have more to gain from participating in another Judgment Day. Molloy explained that, last year, the lessons the team learned defined the season.

"When it came to the tight games we were able to pull it out and come up with big plays like we really hadn't before," he said.

According to McCormick, a national−championship−caliber team must continue to embody Kapitulik's lessons of teamwork, leadership and persistence far past the Marine's early−March visit.

"The staff is only there for two days, so the choice is left up to the team of whether we just want to get better for two days and go through the motions or whether we're going to get better the whole season," McCormick said. "[Last year] we decided to take what we learned from Judgment Day and got better the whole season."

Sometimes, Judgment Day boils down to refining even the most basic skills.

"We worked on doing one perfect jumping jack," Daly said. "The point Eric hammered home to our guys was that if we don't have the discipline and attention to do one perfect jumping jack, how could we expect to apply that in a whole lacrosse game where there are so many other moving factors and scenarios?"