One round down, two to go.
Tufts, the NESCAC's second seeded men's lacrosse team, knocked number seven seed Connecticut College out of the NESCAC playoffs on Sunday with a 9-7 victory on Kraft field. The Jumbos' win came on the heels of Saturday's 13-9 victory over the same Camels team. With that victory, Tufts finished its regular season with a 12-2 record (8-1 NESCAC) and ended in a tie for first place in the league with Middlebury.
Rarely do two college lacrosse teams square off against one another twice in one weekend. However, Tufts took this anomaly in stride, notching the two wins and moving on to play third seeded Wesleyan at Middlebury next weekend.
"It was weird," coach Mike Daly said of playing the same team in two days. "We've never really done that, but it just came down to two tough, physical teams slugging it out."
Physical play dominated the game on Sunday as the two familiar teams played with playoff intensity. Tufts' defense came through in the clutch, shutting down a desperate Camel attack in the closing minutes. Senior leaders Jesse Miller, Charles Savicki and tri-captain Dave Richman anchored the defensive end in front of red-hot junior goalie Luke Chicco.
"We played great team defense," junior attackman Bryan Griffin said. "We clamped down when we had to. Conn. gave us a lot of different looks and we had to make adjustments."
"[Chicco] played fantastic and Miller, Savicki and Richman did a great job at playing our fundamental defensive scheme," Daly added. "It took a whole unit effort."
On the offensive side, Griffin stood out as he has all season with his four goals and two assists. Freshman Mark Warner added two scores of his own while junior Devin Clarke, sophomore Michael Hughes and freshman Stephen Ginsburg each tallied goals as well.
"The offense was frustrated at times," Griffin said. "But we just kept shooting, kept the foot on the gas pedal, and put the pressure on them."
Tufts' attack had numerous good looks in the first half, especially in the second quarter. However, the team only converted four shots as many attempts were blocked by Camel junior goalie Topher Grossman who had ten of his 16 saves in the first half.
Of Griffin's four goals on the day, two tallies came exactly one minute apart to put Tufts up 4-2 at the half. Griffin also built on his new Tufts single-season scoring record of 67 total points set Saturday. The All-American now is responsible for 73 points this year, despite being a main target in many teams' defensive schemes.
"Bryan is a tough guy," Daly said. "He gets hurt and banged up, but he just keeps getting up."
The Jumbos did not wait long to score after halftime as Clarke launched a shot as he fell forward on the right side to open the second half's scoring and put Tufts up by three, 5-2.
The aggression picked up as time wore down with brutal hits across the midfield and relentless defense inside the box. Twelve penalties were called in the game, giving both teams pressure-filled man-up situations.
Conn. College began to make a run in the fourth quarter. Tufts scored its final goal of the contest with 11:36 remaining. The Camels chipped their way back, holding the Jumbo attack and scoring goals of their own for the duration of the game. With Tufts' lead cut down to two, 9-7, and six minutes remaining on the clock, it looked as though Conn. College had momentum on its side.
The Jumbos, however, would not give up a lead they held for the majority of the game. Though they committed several penalties that gave Conn. College some last minute possession advantages, the Jumbos held fast behind Chicco's solid goaltending to finalize the two goal victory.
On Saturday, Tufts topped the Camels in Medford for its 12th and final win of the regular season. Griffin's one goal and two assists were enough to push him past the record-tying 64 points he accumulated last year to a new threshold of 67. The humble attackman, however, puts more importance in the team's future than to this personal accomplishment.
"I was pretty happy with [the record]," Griffin said. "But I have a lot more team goals than individual. Making the NCAA's has always been a dream of mine for our team."
Though it was Griffin who set the record, it was the seniors who were honored on Saturday for their years of hard work and dedication. Senior perennial back-up goalie Brian Atherton started the first NESCAC game of his career, making four saves and surrendering six goals in 30 minutes of work. Other seniors honored their parents for their many years of support with flowers.
Tufts outscored the Camels 8-3 in the second half to erase an early 5-2 deficit and collect the 13-9 win. Sophomore Mike O'Brien led the way in goals scored, finding the back of the cage four times. The win tied Tufts for first place in the NESCAC and set up Sunday's rematch with Conn. College.
The Jumbos will have until next weekend to prepare for the next round of the playoffs.
