Late surge pulls Middlebury out of reach

For one half, the men's lacrosse team outplayed a three-time defending National Champion.

But, Tufts failure to clear the ball in the second half brought the team back to reality, and enabled the Middlebury Panthers to claw back from a 4-3 halftime deficit for a 12-7 win.

"I'm disappointed, we have to play for 60 minutes, not 45 minutes," coach Mike Daly said. "We can't win with the defense playing the whole second half."

The Jumbos failed to control the play in the second, allowing Middlebury to set up its offense and outscore them 9-3. The Jumbo offense sputtered late, failing to retain possession. When the Panthers went on a 4-0 run to take its first lead, the Jumbos could only answer with one goal before Middlebury put the game away with four consecutive tallies. Many turnovers allowed the Panthers to sneak back into the game in the second half.

"We just couldn't do the little things," sophomore goaltender Luke Chicco said. "They had a lot of better looks in the second half. We really should've won."

In the second, the saturated field took its toll and worsened to the sloppy Jumbo play. After a penalty on Chris Kollar in the fourth, Middlebury quickly dispelled any of hopes of a Jumbo victory with four successive goals. The Jumbos endured a swarming offense that caused many turnovers while the defense tried to clear the ball. The slippery field made traction spotty. Both teams fought for numerous ground balls and engaged in intensely physical play, sending several players sprawling to the ground.

"We just were not able to clear the ball," Daly said. "Today we played hard just not smart."

During the second half, the Jumbos could not keep the ball in the hands of their offense. The team's play in the later stages changed dramatically from the crisp tone set in the first half.

"It was our fundamentals," sophomore Bryan Griffin said. "We just couldn't catch, throw, and clear."

The cold temperatures may have also contributed to the team's struggles on offense. Each time the Jumbos managed to put a goal on the board in the second, Middlebury seemed to have an answer to quickly answer.

Sophomore points leader David Taylor led Jumbos the way with a hat trick, including two goals and an assist in the first half, when he found Chris Kollar wide open in front of the net. Kollar finished the fast break as he faked out the goalie with the first of his pair of goals.

In the first quarter, the Jumbos jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, pressuring the Middlebury defense and dominating the time of possession in the first five minutes of play before their second-half breakdown.

Chicco had a busy day between the pipes, turning away 19 shots to keep the Jumbos in the game. As the Jumbos failed to clear the ball, Chicco and the zone defense helped to preserve a lead at the end of the half 4-3.

At halftime the Jumbos led 4-3 but careless play prevented them from holding their lead. Tufts' advantage quickly evaporated in the second half but not before Dave Taylor had his say.

To open the second half, Taylor received a pass from a midfield on a fast break. He had an open net but hesitated on a shot before he froze the Middlebury defense and goalie Christopher Davis with an underhanded flip7 with his back turned.

"I actually should have taken the first shot," Taylor said. "It was something where it just felt right at the time."

The team soared in the first quarter, dominating play and pressuring the Middlebury defense as snowdrifts fenced in the newly shoveled field. The Jumbos took advantage of their opportunities and forced Davis to make several difficult saves in the first quarter.

"We had some really good possessions in the first quarter on offense," Griffin said. "We really did not get too many in the second, third or fourth quarters."

The Jumbos will have a chance to return to their winning ways when they take on Colby this Saturday at home.