Finally, Victory in Vermont

This article appeared in the April 25 edition of "The Tufts Daily."

On Saturday afternoon, the No. 4 men's lacrosse team (11-1, 8-0 NESCAC) conquered one of its oldest demons, upending No. 10 Middlebury in an 11-8, come-from-behind victory, the Jumbos first win on the road against the Panthers in coach Mike Daly's 13-year tenure.

With the win, the Jumbos clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NESCAC tournament and preserved a perfect 8-0 NESCAC record going into the final conference game of the season.

Senior quad-captain attackman D.J. Hessler, a nominee for the NCAA's prestigious Tewaaraton Award, led the Jumbos' efforts with six points and junior face-off specialist Nick Rhoads had a standout day at the X, as Tufts controlled 14 of 23 faceoffs.

"I changed up the grip on my stick a little bit and had my hands a little closer together, which helps a whole bunch," Rhoads said. "Also, we switched up some of the wings and put [sophomore midfielder] Ryan Jorgenson there, which made a big difference."

Middlebury outshot Tufts 57 to 39, but freshman goalkeeper Patton Watkins posted 18 saves and Tufts' defense bounced back from a rocky first period to allow Middlebury only four goals in the final three quarters of play.

The Panthers jumped out to an early lead after sophomore midfielder Erich Pfeffer rebounded a Watkins save and fired a shot past the freshman for the 1-0 advantage.

Thirty seconds later, Middlebury senior midfielder Adam Connor notched a goal of his own and freshman midfielder George Curtis brought the lead to 3-0, scoring with 9 1/2 minutes to play. Just halfway into the first quarter, it appeared that the Jumbos were headed for their second loss in as many weeks.

But senior quad-captain attackman Ryan Molloy stepped up to end Tufts' scoring drought, hammering in two goals before fellow senior quad-captain Matt Witko, a midfielder, added one more to even the game up at three. All three scores came on feeds from Hessler.

"After their run we didn't change anything," Rhoads said. "They'd gotten some lucky breaks. With the wet weather, I don't think Patton was ready for the kinds of bounce shots that they threw at him. But we didn't take any timeouts; we just kept playing our game."

Middlebury sophomore attackman Mike Giordano soon recaptured the lead for the Panthers and Tufts trailed 4-3 at the end of the first period, but the Jumbos came out of the gates strong in the second quarter. Hessler and junior midfielder Kevin McCormick each scored, giving Tufts its first lead of the game before Panthers junior attackman Tim Cahill tied it at 5-5 going into halftime.

Middlebury took two quick leads early in the second half, with the Jumbos equalizing each time. Then, with the game stalled at 7-7, Hessler took control, banking a shot past senior co-captain goalkeeper Ryan Deane to give the Jumbos their second lead with just over a minute remaining in the period.

The Jumbos never trailed again, scoring the last three goals of the contest. Sophomore close defenseman Matt Callahan recorded his first goal of the season, while Witko finished the day with an empty-net score in the closing minute.

"We knew that they played very aggressively so if we were patient instead of dodging right away, and … if we could take advantage of the [isolation], we could get great looks," Hessler said. "They did a pretty good job of taking away our transition game ... near the end of the game we got a few more opportunities, and that's what helped separate us."

In the last period, Watkins took several shots off the helmet to keep Tufts ahead, while Tufts' close defenders also stepped up to deflect Middlebury's final attempts.

"The defense played incredibly," Rhoads said. "There was one point at the end of the game where I think they had the ball for about three minutes and we shut them down the whole time."

The Jumbos, who have recently struggled with possession, played the Panthers to an even 41 groundballs per squad. Tufts' improved midfield play and sense of urgency in loose-ball situations proved a decisive factor in the matchup.

"Middlebury did a great job on the wings on faceoffs getting groundballs. They had one pole that was all over the place, but we kept scrapping and when those opportunities came we made it our opportunity rather than just fifty-fifty," Hessler said. "We're definitely still improving in that area but it's heading in the right direction."

Tufts hosts Babson on Monday before traveling to Bowdoin to conclude the regular season. The Jumbos are focused on these contests, but feel accomplished after capturing home-field advantage for the NESCAC Tournament.

"One of our goals on the team was to host the NESCACs, but even until then, we still have a lot of games left," Hessler said. "That's not really something we've thought about too much, but it's definitely something that we're proud about."

Tufts Avenges 2010 Loss, Comes from Behind to Beat Conn. College 6-5

This article appeared in the April 19 edition of "The Tufts Daily."

It wasn't pretty, but the formerly No. 1 — now No. 4 —  men's lacrosse team, sparked by a run of five unanswered goals that started late in the second quarter and continued throughout a dominating third quarter, was able to gut out a 6-5 win Saturday at Bello Field against Conn. College, the team that ruined the Jumbos' bid for a perfect season last year.

Tufts fell behind 3-0 in front of the home crowd, and sluggishly went into half down 3-1, with a goal from senior quad-captain attackman Ryan Molloy as the lone Tufts tally against a Conn. College team content to slow down the pace of the game. But Tufts came out with newfound intensity in the second half, dominating the Camels 4-0 in the third frame and ultimately avenging last year's only loss, an 8-6 defeat to the Camels.

"In the first half, they out-strapped us," freshman goalie Patton Watkins said. "They got more of the groundballs and just pretty much out-hustled us. At halftime we got really pumped up and decided, ‘No more. This team's not going to work harder than us. We're not going to be outworked in the second half.'"

Conn. College, which was unranked but received votes in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) coaches poll, held a decisive advantage Saturday when it came to possession; the Camels captured 30 groundballs to the Jumbos' 19 and ran an effective settled offense for much of the contest. Meanwhile, Tufts struggled with possession for much of the game.

Yet gutsy efforts from junior attackman Sean Kirwan and senior quad-captain attackman D.J. Hessler, who together led Tufts with three points apiece, allowed the Jumbos to eke by a threatening Camel team led by senior tri-captain midfielders Eric Doran and Mark Mangano and sophomore midfielder Mike Giambanco.

Tufts dug itself into a hole early after Doran's man-up score gave the Camels the first tally of the contest less than five minutes in. Mangano and Doran added two more goals for the Camels, and sophomore goalkeeper John Lenehan kept the Tufts offense at bay with four saves in the first quarter.

"The first half was a case of a hot goalie and a team that liked to slow the ball down," Kirwan said. "We weren't getting the best looks at first and we had a little bit of an off-day finishing."

In the second quarter, Tufts quad-captain attackman Ryan Molloy had the only score of the period, on a feed from Hessler. Facing a 3-1 halftime deficit, the Jumbos were in danger of losing both their second game in five days and their grip on the top seed in the NESCAC.

But three goals from Kirwan, including two off feeds from Hessler, helped put Tufts up 5-3. The Jumbos never looked back.

"The key thing was that we needed to stick to what we're good at and what we do well," Kirwan said. "I think we did that to the maximum in the third quarter, and we were confident with our decisions.

"It was just being patient on offense," he added. "We like to push the ball but at the same time we have to understand what's a solid look and what's not, and that's something that we were able to pick up as we went on."

Conn. College did not go down without a fight, however, and following a Tufts goal from senior quad-captain midfielder Matt Witko, Camels sophomore attackman John Lyons scored with 3:55 remaining to close the gap to one.

With less than five seconds left, Watkins, facing a man-up Conn. College unit, made one of the biggest saves of his short collegiate career. The freshman stuffed Doran's top left-corner shot, securing possession, and the win, for the Jumbos.

Watkins finished the day with a stellar 13 saves, while John Lenehan backed up a staunch Conn. defense with 15 of his own.

Junior midfielder Nick Rhoads won eight of 15 faceoffs for the Jumbos, and Rhoads and senior quad-captain Alec Bialosky led the Jumbos with three groundballs each.

A strong Jumbos defense stepped up in the wake of Tufts' offensive frustrations and tied its season-low for goals allowed.

"The main thing that our defense did a great job at was communicating," Watkins said. "We played great fundamental defense. Everyone slid early to the middies dodging down the lanes and we recovered really well. If you do that over and over again they're not going to get any inside shots."

The Jumbos will play at No. 10 Middlebury next Saturday in its next-to-last conference matchup of the season.

Bialosky, 'Bos Blast Bantams

This story appeared in the April 11 edition of The Tufts Daily.

There may be a "D" for defense next to Alec Bialosky's name on the 2011 men's lacrosse roster, but on Saturday the former attackman−turned−longstick midfielder proved that he can still score.

The senior quad−captain had four goals and an assist to lift national No. 1 Tufts (9−0, 6−0 NESCAC) to an 18−10 victory over No. 14 Trinity. The Jumbos took it to the formerly undefeated Bantams, capturing sole possession of the NESCAC lead.

"Big games like that are the reason that we play," senior quad−captain attackman Ryan Molloy said. "We have the mentality that the bigger the game, the simpler it is. We knew we just had to stick to the fundamentals and that if we kept that mindset, we'd be fine."

After sophomore midfielder Sam Diss' unassisted goal gave the Jumbos the first lead of the contest, the two squads traded points, battling to a 3−3 tie. Diss then secured Tufts' go−ahead score with 6:26 remaining in the first quarter, and the Jumbos did not concede the lead for the remainder of the game.

Although Trinity came to within one in the middle of the second quarter, Tufts glided into halftime on a four−goal run, leading the Bantams 10−5 at intermission. But the hosts refused to go down without a fight and cut the lead to 12−10 going into the fourth period.

In the late stages, however, the Jumbos took over, silencing Trinity's top scorers and extending their two−goal margin to eight.

Bialosky kicked off scoring in the final period, notching his third goal of the game less than a minute into the quarter to stop the bleeding. Senior quad−captain midfielder Matt Witko followed suit, while the third goal of the day for junior midfielder Kevin McCormick put the Jumbos up 15−10.

Freshman Patton Watkins made 18 saves on the day and posted a fourth quarter shutout. Watkins has now started three straight games for the Jumbos after taking the place of junior Steve Foglietta. Over that span he has averaged just over 17 saves a game while only allowing just under nine goals per contest.

"Patton has been playing great all season," Bialosky said. "He's developing poise as the season wears on and has really taken over. He's becoming the general, which is what you want from your goalie, and it's pretty impressive that, as a freshman, he really doesn't seem to get rattled even when he sees a lot of shots."

The Tufts defense held a very capable Trinity attack unit to 10 points. The Bantams, who scored in double digits in five of their previous eight games, were unable to get much past Watkins and a young defensive unit. Bialosky proved his worth on both ends of the field, collecting a team−high five groundballs while fueling the Jumbos' transition game.

"It's no secret that we play in transition, and Alec is as good with the ball as any of our offensive middies," Molloy said. "If a team's going to play us where they're not going to slide from our attack, other players are going to step up. Alec had a monster game, and that just shows how hard of a worker he is. He doesn't give up, and it paid off."

Sophomore attackman Jeff Hebert, the Bantams' leading scorer, was held to one assist in Trinity's losing effort. The Tufts defense also slowed high−scoring sophomore midfielder Nick Shaheen and sophomore attackman Rob Nogueras, who contributed only two points each. Nogueras took 11 shots in his one−goal performance, and his fruitless efforts demonstrated the Bantams' offensive frustrations in the face of a solid Tufts defensive effort.

But Trinity's defense — which had held all but one previous opponent below 10 points — had no answer for Tufts' depth. While Bialosky and McCormick had five and four points, respectively, eight other Jumbos also scored in what turned out to be a balanced scoring assault.

"With our depth, it's difficult for other teams to come up with a defensive gameplan," Bialosky said. "If you focus on taking Molloy and D.J. [Hessler] out of it, then the midfielders are going to go crazy, and if you slide really early, then we're going to score a ton of crease goals."

Junior goalie Peter Johnson made 18 saves for Trinity, but he could not do enough against a constant stream of high−quality efforts.

"We knew going in that Trinity had a great goalie and that he was going to make great saves," Molloy said. "We just had to continue to get the ball in front of the cage and take shots. Going into the fourth quarter, we just knew that if we kept getting the best shots of that, we'd eventually be able to put them in the net."

Tufts will travel to Endicott tomorrow night to take on its non−conference rivals. These two squads last met in the 2010 NCAA tournament, with the Jumbos cruising to a 21−8 victory.

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.