With just two games remaining on its regular season schedule, the men's lacrosse team will turn its full attention to a strong finish going into the NESCAC playoffs.
"Everything that we would even think about in the playoffs is affected by these next two games [against Wesleyan and Conn. College]," coach Mike Daly said. "We need to stay focused, relax and just play the way we know we can."
In a season in which Tufts has dominated many of its opponents -- seven of the team's ten wins have seen the Jumbos victorious by five or more goals -- nothing short of perfection will satisfy this squad.
"Every year, we've started out expecting to win the national championship," Daly said. "And until they carry us off the field, that will still remain our goal."
Tufts has arguably its best chance ever to win the NESCAC and move on to the national tournament this year. The Jumbos, currently ranked 12th in the nation in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll, sit in a first place tie at 6-1 in the conference with perennial powerhouse Middlebury. This season's success thus far has been an entire team effort with many young players coming to the forefront with the help of strong veteran leadership.
Contributions have come from a wide range of the team's 38 man roster. Most recently, sophomore Michael Hughes exploded for five goals in the win versus Bates on Saturday. Juniors Bryan Griffin and Devin Clarke, sophomores Billy Granger and Mike O'Brien, and freshman Mark Warner all are in double figures in goals scored as well.
Defensively, Tufts continues to lock opponents out of the crease, keeping the ball away from junior goalie Luke Chicco as much as possible. When the ball does sneak through the Tufts bastion in front of the cage, however, Chicco has consistently shown his strength.
"Luke's just been playing great," Daly said. "He's staying within himself and doing everything we expect him to just being tough."
The next step for this multi-faceted team will be tomorrow's contest against Wesleyan, a team ranked 15th in the country and holding onto third place in the NESCAC. The formidable Cardinals currently sport an 11-2 overall mark (5-2 NESCAC) and could even its record with Tufts with a win on Wednesday.
Like the Jumbos, Wesleyan has momentum coming into this game after defeating Williams 8-5 on Saturday to clinch its second consecutive Little Three crown. This honor is bestowed upon Amherst, Williams or Wesleyan for the best head-to-head record among the three.
Senior Ian Applegate leads Wesleyan with 29 goals scored while sophomore Glenn Adams and junior Chris Knacke round out the top three Cardinals in points with 21 goals and 19 assists, and 22 goals with 17 assists, respectively.
Cardinal goalie Matt Wheeler has allowed just 76 goals this season and holds a 61.4 save percentage. His 6.74 goals against average tops the 7.91 average held by Chicco.
Last season, Tufts was 2-0 against Wesleyan with its second victory over the Cardinals coming in the NESCAC tournament semifinals in a tight 8-7 match. Griffin had four goals and one assist in that game, while Applegate posted five goals and one assist for Wesleyan. In their previous meeting, Tufts defeated Wesleyan more handily with an 11-7 win at home. Griffin again proved his right to the New England Player of the Year honor he won in 2003 with two assists and three goals.
This year, Wesleyan will be on the lookout for Griffin, but will take the whole Tufts team into account.
"[Tufts] has a lot of offensive firepower," Wesleyan head coach John Raba said. "They have a lot of good players on the field along with Griffin and if we focus too much on one player, other guys will score like Hughes did [against Bates]."
"It will be a very athletic game," Raba added. "We just have to hang on and see what we can de offensively. Tufts is as good as any team we'll play this year."
The Jumbos also expect stark competition from the home team in tomorrow's road game.
"Wesleyan is a top team in the league," Daly said. "It's going to be another great NESCAC game; they'll be fired up to play us."
