With Second Straight NESCAC Title, Tufts Looks to Repeat More Than That

            This spring, the defending national champion men’s lacrosse team notched an impressive 12-2 regular season, but still has a long road ahead, as the No. 2 seed looks to repeat in this year’s upcoming NCAA tournament.

Saturday, the Jumbos, who enjoyed a first-round bye in the NCAAs, held off Union College, winning 6-5 at home, although the Jumbos never led the Dutchmen by more than two in the second-round matchup.

“In the Union game, we were all fired up to play but I think we might have underestimated them a little bit,” senior quad-captain defensive midfielder Alec Bialosky said. “We got lulled to sleep on defense a few times and we weren’t quite playing at full speed a hundred percent of the time which could come back to bite us. Going forward, we need to have that laser-lock focus and look at the little things.”

In the regular season, the Jumbos topped the NESCAC, posting an impressive 8-1, in-conference record, and after dropping their final game to Bowdoin, the Jumbos rebounded in the NESCAC tournament. In the conference tournament, the Jumbos played some of their toughest lacrosse yet, and in a thrilling overtime finish, Tufts outlasted Middlebury 13-12, securing its second 2011 victory over the Panthers and repeating as NESCAC champions. 

Tufts led Middlebury by four until the visiting Panthers staged a five-goal run to give them their first lead of the game with fewer than three minutes remaining. After junior midfielder Kevin McCormick tied the game again, Middlebury senior attackman David Hild delivered a silencing goal with a minute remaining to seemingly ensure a Middlebury victory.

“At this point in the season every team we play is capable of going on runs. If we make little mistakes they’re going to capitalize on them,” senior quad-captain attackman Ryan Molloy said. “In the fourth quarter, we want to come out and play for sixty minutes and maybe we had a five, six, seven-minute letdown. They’re a good team, they’re going to capitalize on those mistakes.”

In the final minute, however, Tufts regained possession, and after sophomore defensive midfielder Sam Diss cleared the ball across the restraining line, coach Mike Daly called a Jumbos timeout.

After the huddle, the Jumbos fired two shots off the mark, but senior quad-captain midfielder Matt Witko maintained his composure, firing a top left-corner rocket past goalkeeper Ryan Deane to tie the game with nine seconds remaining and force extra time.

“When we called the timeout before Witko scored we were all on the sideline mentally getting ready for that next face-off,” Bialosky said. “We knew that our offense was gonna get the job done and then Wikto got that great shot and put it in so going into overtime we were just talking about going forward, zero-zero ballgame, gotta get the next groundball, the next face-off win.”

In overtime, the two teams traded possessions until Bialosky forced a turnover on the Panthers, allowing Molloy to complete a pass to junior attackman Sean Kirwan for the golden goal.

“On that groundball I got, [sophomore defender] John Heard was doing a great job on-ball, forced a pass and we slid to the guy he threw it to so he had to make another pass and the kid just dropped it. It was pretty simple,” Bialosky said. “Then we just attacked, which is our philosophy. We never slow it down, and we just got off that quick pass to Ryan, to Sean, to the goal.”

“It’s the nature of the NESCAC to play in so many close games that we’re in that situation over and over again throughout the season. So we’re not nervous; we’re kind of excited and anxious and looking for the opportunity,” Molloy added. “Thank god Alec came up with that groundball and pushed transition and because of the way we play we’re able to not take a timeout and score that goal and end the game.”

In the conference semifinals, Tufts delivered an equally exciting last minute victory over Bowdoin. In the fourth quarter, the Jumbos led the Polar Bears 10-5, when Bowdoin launched a five-goal, six-minute scoring campaign to tie with four minutes left.

After several threatening Bowdoin possessions, freshman goalkeeper Patton Watkins controlled a Gilman clear from senior goalie Jake McCampbell, and aired a last-ditch clear out with just 12 seconds remaining. Senior quad-captain attackman D.J. Hessler controlled the outlet and flicked it to Molloy.

Molloy then faked out McCampbell, launching a low bounce-shot past the goalkeeper’s left side and into the back of the net with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock to seal the victory.

“Honestly, at that point, I was just hoping that they didn’t score,” Molloy said. “When Patton caught the ball I thought he was probably going to hold it but then he sent it down the field and really nothing was in my mind other than that instinct took over. D.J. threw it to me and I didn’t even realize how much time was on the clock. I just made sure the ball went in the net.”

Although the Jumbos finished the NESCAC tournament with two of their more stunning victories, Daly’s squad proved itself time and time again in high-pressure situations throughout the season. Seven of the Jumbos’ games have been decided by one goal.

“Something that my high school coaches used to say is, ‘If you win by a lot it shows your talent, but if you win by a little, it shows your character.’ No one on our team ever quits when we’re down,” Bialosky said. “As long as there’s still time on the clock, we’re still fighting to get the ‘W,’ so all those one-goal games they add up. They’ll help us in the long run.”

Molloy added, “We definitely have the urgency. Nothing is guaranteed anymore. You have to earn every day, earn every practice. We’re not thinking ahead. We’re focusing on practice today, practice tomorrow, and then the next game, because it could be our last.”

More of my coverage of the NESCAC and NCAA tournaments can be found on InsideLacrosse.com.
Bowdoin, Middlebury, Union 


Also, for video footage of how the NESCAC semis and finals ended, check out Arlin Ladue's footage on youtube: Bowdoin Goal with 0.4 Seconds Remaining, Overtime Victory Over Middlebury in Finals

Ladue also produced a documentary on the Jumbos' 2010 championship season:

Molloy Leads Tufts in Rebound, Jumbos Defeat Conn. to Advance in NESCACS

This article appeared in the May 2 edition of "The Tufts Daily."

The men's lacrosse team bounced back from a staggering six-point loss to Bowdoin on Friday by thrashing Conn. College 12-6 in the opening round of the NESCAC Tournament yesterday afternoon. The Jumbos scored six goals late in the third quarter to defeat the Camels and advance to next Saturday's semifinals.

Senior attackmen Ryan Molloy and D.J. Hessler, both quad-captains, came up unexpectedly big in yesterday's game after an embarrassing 15-9 loss to the Polar Bears on Friday. Molloy recorded two goals and four assists while Hessler, battling through a tweaked ankle, finished the afternoon with a hat trick and an assist.

"Coming off of the loss, we just focused on us," Molloy said. "Getting better one ground ball at a time. The game against Bowdoin was demoralizing, embarrassing; we knew we could play better and [Sunday] we came out and we did."

Freshman goalie Patton Watkins posted 13 saves, while Tufts' defense shut out the Camels' leading scorer, senior midfielder Mark Mangano, who finished the game with seven shots but no points. The Jumbos also frustrated the Camels' five other leading scorers, holding each to a single point.

"We'd already played these guys once, so we understood what they do and the way they play," sophomore defenseman Sam Gardner said. "Today we focused on playing solid team defense instead of any particular assignments. We just had to play our game: slide early and don't try anything special."

After the Camels jumped out to a 1-0 lead, Tufts responded with three straight scores, and a seemingly impenetrable Tufts defense allowed Conn. only one more goal in the half, heading into the second period up 4-2.

"We're used to playing a lot of defense because of the fast-paced game we play on attack," sophomore defensive midfielder Sam Diss said. "So we're prepared to take five, six minutes on defense at a time, whatever we need to make a stand. We weren't fazed at all when Conn. had those types of possessions because we knew that as long as we played as a unit and forced outside shots, we'd be fine."

After sophomore midfielder Mike Giambanco brought the Camels within one in the third quarter, Molloy took over with two assists and two goals to close out the period and spark a 6-0 Jumbos run that extended halfway into the final quarter.

"We approach every game with the mentality that it's sixty minutes," Molloy said. "The first thirty minutes they gave us their knockout punch, but we knew that if we started winning face-offs and putting some in the net that we could slow the game down and really take it to them."

Tufts dominated midfield play and secured 33 groundballs to the Camels' 20, while junior midfielder Nick Rhoads controlled eight groundballs and won 13 of 22 face-offs for the Jumbos.

"I think our defensive middies really stepped up big and kept Conn. down the alleys all day," Diss said. "We have a great attacking unit — they've played together the last two years — so as long as we can get them the ball in a hurry they can make something happen."

Conn. College junior goalie John Lenehan posted 12 saves, but his efforts could not suppress a Jumbos attacking unit eager to redeem itself from Friday's single-digit performance — one of only three this season.

"Our offense really picked it up in the second half and started to put the dagger in them," Gardner said. "It was that simple. They sealed the deal for us today."

On Friday, the Jumbos traveled to Bowdoin for their final regular-season game and suffered their first conference loss since April 17, 2010. Junior attackman Sean Kirwan led the Jumbos with five goals, but the team as a whole shot 9-for-36 and allowed a season-high 15 goals, the team's biggest defensive breakdown since March 2008.

"Against Bowdoin, we just let their middies, who were big and athletic, get top-side all day and just cut across the middle of the field," Diss said. "Coming off that game, we knew that was something we had to work on. We had a light practice Saturday, and we talked about the game and really focused on what we had to do mentally to come back for [Conn.]."

With yesterday's win, Tufts earned itself another shot at the Polar Bears, this time in the NESCAC Semifinals on Saturday at noon on Bello Field.

"We're just glad to have earned another week," Molloy said. "We're back out here for seven more days, and we're going to keep grinding and playing our game."