Ahead of The Times

Last month, I talked about Chipotle's new YouTube ad campaign, which features a cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist" by Willie Nelson, to demonstrate how the company's production processes have begun to move the food industry "back to the start," including local and free-grazing, antibiotic-free methods. This morning, the New York Times published a story on the same thing; a month later. Here's the more professional take -- still an interesting read, even if it took them weeks longer to discover and dissect the campaign as it took me.

Now or Never

The other day, Jamison Hensley wrote a great piece for ESPN.com's AFC North blog. In the piece, he discusses why, if the Ravens are going to have a "year," it has to be this one, and explains both the team's increased sense of urgency, as well as the various factors that have aligned thus far to maximize the Ravens' chances of returning to the Super Bowl. The original piece can be read by clicking here, but the article has also been posted below, and includes a great highlight video from the 2011-2012 season just in time for the Ravens' postgame opener, an AFC divisional matchup with the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Weather forecasts call for highs of 36 and possible snow this weekend, meaning the location won't be the only thing reminding the Texans that they're far from home.

"The Baltimore Ravens will go to the Super Bowl this year. Correction: The Ravens had better get to the Super Bowl this year. 

Mitch Stringer/US PresswireIn 16 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, linebacker Ray Lewis has only one Super Bowl ring. Can he get his second this season?

With playoff nemesis Pittsburgh out of the way, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Ravens and a trip to Indianapolis is themselves. Look around the remaining AFC playoff field, and there's a team that didn't have a winning record in the regular season (Denver Broncos), a team starting a third-string rookie quarterback (Houston Texans) and a team that has the AFC's worst defense (New England Patriots).

You know that Ray Lewis broke into his pregame dance when he saw what was left in the AFC. Baltimore starts its postseason by playing the Texans on Sunday after a bye week. It was only three months ago that the Ravens beat the Texans by 15 points after a bye week.

If the Patriots win the other AFC divisional-round game Saturday, the Ravens would have to play the AFC Championship Game in New England, where they beatTom Brady and the Patriots by 19 points two years ago. If the Broncos work their magic again, the AFC Championship Game would be played in Baltimore, where the Ravens have won 10 straight.

Everything is set up for the Ravens this year. If they don't reach the Super Bowl now, they might never do so under coach John Harbaugh.

Some would say it's the Ravens' destiny to go to a Super Bowl in Indianapolis, the city where the Colts moved from Baltimore. The fact is, the team's postseason path has never been more favorable, especially in Harbaugh's four seasons.

Always a wild-card team, Baltimore has had to play all seven playoff games under Harbaugh on the road. As a No. 2 seed this year, the Ravens host a postseason game for the first time in five years.

Baltimore failed to make it to the Super Bowl the previous three years because it couldn't get past Ben Roethlisberger (twice) and Peyton Manning. Roethlisberger is out of the playoffs after hobbling the past month on a high ankle sprain, and Manning has been out for the entire season after neck surgery. How many years will two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks be out of the Ravens' way before they play their first postseason game?

The Ravens are stressing to everyone to play with a sense of urgency.

"That’s the biggest thing that we emphasize to everybody in the locker room, whether they are 16 years in the league or rookies: Seize every moment," defensive end Cory Redding said. "Control the opportunity you are in. Never take this for granted."

Part of that sense of urgency comes from not knowing how much longer the Ravens will have linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed, two of the best to play their positions. Both have been struggling toward the end of the season and will be older than 33 next season. 

This Super Bowl run will come down to the Ravens' next generation, running back Ray Rice and linebacker Terrell Suggs. The Ravens are at their best when Rice is breaking long runs and Suggs is hitting quarterbacks.

The Ravens, though, haven't played their best heading into the postseason. In the final three weeks of the regular season, Baltimore got routed in San Diego, survived a late rally against Cleveland and needed two big touchdown runs by Ray Rice to outlast Cincinnati.
In Baltimore's defense, no AFC team is playing great. Houston and Denver both lost their last three games of the regular season, and New England had to come back from big first-quarter deficits (17 and 21 points) to win its last two games.

What has separated the Ravens from the remaining AFC teams is their ability to beat the best teams. The Ravens went undefeated in a division that sent three teams to the playoffs. Baltimore is also 6-0 against this year's playoff teams, which is far better than New England (1-2), Houston (3-2) and Denver (1-3).

“I’ve got the Ravens going to the Super Bowl," former Ravens coach Brian Billick told a Baltimore radio station. "They’re going to beat Houston. I think they can go in and beat New England."

When it comes to the postseason, the biggest question mark for the Ravens is quarterback Joe Flacco. In seven playoff games, he has completed 53.3 percent of his passes, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions.

But the only quarterback left in the AFC with more playoff wins than Flacco is Brady.
“Normally, when you size up the playoff pool, it’s what? Rank the quarterbacks," Billick said. "In the AFC, obviously at the top of the pyramid is Tom Brady. I don’t think anybody would argue that, and no disrespect to Joe Flacco, but no one is going to pick Joe Flacco over Tom Brady. But there’s no question the Baltimore Ravens are a more complete team.”
After three straight years of coming up short in the playoffs, the Ravens believe they're the more motivated team.

"Everything fuels what you’re going through," Harbaugh said. "Every shared experience fuels who you become, what you become -- the disappointments as much as the triumphs. That was a big disappointment last year."

Even if this year ends in similar disappointment, the Ravens will have plenty more trips to the playoffs in the future with the likes of Rice, Flacco, Suggs and Haloti Ngata. But an opportunity like this one in the AFC might not come around again.

The time for the Ravens' Super Bowl is now."

Back to the Start - Coldplay ft. Guac, Carnitas

A Chipotle ad I came across... they've really re-directed their marketing in an interesting way.

I'm afraid of heights, they believe they can fly

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

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."

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.