Things have been smooth sailing for the lacrosse team. Coming out of spring break, the team is 4-0 and has yet to face a challenge, having won each game in blowout fashion.
In fact, it would be hard to find any problems in the season thus far: the Jumbos have scored an average of 15 goals per game and held opponents to 4.5. Leading scorer and pre-season All-American Bryan Griffin broke the Tufts all-time scoring record in the second game against Endicott. The team has managed to avoid injuries and in the process of the four blowouts, the Jumbos moved up to No. 4 in the national rankings yesterday.
Yet as of today, none of that matters. At 4:00, the Amherst Lord Jeffs travel to Medford to take on the Jumbos in a battle of NESCAC and national powerhouses. The game is Tufts' first conference battle.
The No. 12 Jeffs stand at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference, having beaten Trinity 12-2 on Saturday.
Despite its taking place just five games into the season, the Amherst game has massive implications for the Jumbos, both on a conference and a national scale.
"It's our biggest game of the year so far, so we're really psyched," sophomore Chris Connelly said. "We just want to go out, execute, and play our game."
The NESCAC has been the best lacrosse conference in the nation for several years. As of yesterday's national rankings, the conference boasts Tufts at No. 4, Middlebury at No. 7, Amherst at No. 12, Wesleyan at No. 14, and Bates at No. 16, with Bowdoin and Hamilton just outside the top 20.
Only the conference winner is guaranteed a berth at the Div. III national championships, but it is possible that a team that finishes in second or third with a high national ranking can gain an at-large bid to the national tournament.
Amherst coach Tom Carmean commented on the highly competitive nature of the NESCAC.
"It's great that we've all gotten ourselves into an area where a lot of schools are in the top 10 or top 15," Carmean said. "It means that one loss to another strong NESCAC team doesn't knock you out of playoff contention. [The NCAA] recognizes that these are good teams playing each other and that if one loses it doesn't necessarily knock them out of the playoff picture."
Last year, Tufts beat Amherst on Apr. 21 in one of the most thrilling games of the season. With 4:49 left in the game, current senior tri-captain Devin Clarke broke a 10-10 deadlock to give the Jumbos a one goal advantage, and the team held on for the win.
One of the keys for Tufts to repeat last year's victory will be strong play on the defensive end. While the team's defense has performed nearly flawlessly thus far, giving up an average of only 4.5 goals per game, it has yet to be tested by an offense of Amherst's caliber.
"There's a bunch of new guys on defense, and we've had to gel together," sophomore defenseman Wiley Dornseif said. "So far we have been happy with how we've played together."
Coach Mike Daly credits the defensive success to assistant coach and Tufts lacrosse alum Jessie Miller.
"Coach Miller is doing a fantastic job with our defensive package and our defensemen," Daly said. "He is energetic, tough and hardworking and that is reflected in how our defense has been playing. We have been playing great team defense and the individuals within the defense stick to their job as 1/7 of the total defense."
In its first three games, the Lord Jeffs defeated Trinity 12-2, Clarkson 15-6, and Keene St. 13-9. Sophomore attackman Derek Cherney has been one of the focal points of the Amherst offense with a team-leading nine assists to go along with six goals. Senior Alex Casertano will also be a scoring threat, as the attackman has eight goals in the team's three games.
"They've got a lot of good players on offense," Dornseif said. "We know that, and we've got to try to play real well as a unit, play physical, and shut them down.
Offensively, the Jumbos will try to maintain the same suffocating attack that has kept them scoring in double digits over the last four games. The offense has featured a flurry of goals from multiple players, but senior tri-captain Bryan Griffin will continue to be a threat to score at all times, and Amherst will have to find a way to contain the All-American.
"He's a very good, savvy player," Carmean said about Griffin. "Being aware of him at all times will be helpful for us."
Besides the weight that the game carries for each team's conference record, the game also holds special bearing on the national rankings. No. 3 Cortland (NY) will play No. 2 Nazareth (NY) tomorrow, meaning that if Tufts wins it will leapfrog the loser of that game and settle into one of the top three spots in the nation.
But Dornseif says that the team's focus is not on the national rankings.
"We're definitely trying to not pay attention to the rankings right now. If we take one game at a time, the rankings will take care of themselves."
