It was ugly but it still counts.
The men's lacrosse team emerged from a sloppy, mistake-filled game against No. 20 Endicott College on Bello Field last night with a 12-10 victory. Sophomore attack Clem McNally led the Jumbos with four goals, while senior tri-captain attack Mark Warner spearheaded the attack with three assists. Sophomore attack Nick Cosco continued his strong play this season, notching three goals in a losing effort for the Gulls.
Taking advantage of Endicott's tentative play, Tufts cruised to a 3-1 lead in the first period. The Gulls controlled possession for much of the quarter but seemed content with swinging the ball around without attacking the cage, while Tufts was clinical in attack when converting its three scores. McNally scored the game's first and third goals to lead the way for the Jumbos.
Both teams stepped up their physical intensity in the second period, with errant passes, hard checks and frequent ground balls. After trading goals, Tufts took a 5-3 lead to the locker room.
Within eight seconds after the intermission, Cosco's emphatic play set the tone for the third quarter, as he scooped up a ground ball, took two full strides, and fired a strike past sophomore Matt Harrigan to pull Endicott to within one. Cosco's goal seemed to rock the Jumbos back on their heels defensively, and as a result, the Gulls scored goals on two of their three man-up opportunities in the third. But Tufts recovered and generated enough firepower of its own to send the game to the fourth period tied at eight.
With the game tied at 10 and just under five minutes to play, the Jumbos' upperclassmen stepped up to the plate. Senior Chris Connelly scored his second goal of the game with 4:48 left, and junior long-stick midfielder Tucker Merrigan fed sophomore midfielder Chase Bibby for a vital two-goal lead with 2:40 remaining. The teams traded possessions until the final whistle.
See tomorrow's Daily for more coverage.
-by Matt Mertens
