The men's lacrosse team entered 2008 riding high, slotted at No. 9 in the preseason national rankings. But soon after starting out the season with three straight wins, including a convincing 7-4 victory over Williams -- the team that eventually eliminated Tufts from the first round of the NESCAC Tournament -- the wheels came off. Tufts dropped four of its next seven games, losing to lower-ranked teams like Conn. College and Roanoke and ultimately finishing with an overall record of 9-6, down from its mark of 13-4 a season prior.
"I think we learned [last year] how much parity there is in this league," junior tri-captain Mike Droesch said. "It doesn't matter what you're ranked because anybody can beat anybody on a given day."
As it heads toward a new season -- the team opens its 2009 campaign on Saturday at home against Amherst -- Tufts is experiencing the repercussions of last year's disappointment: no ranking and a relative lack of national spotlight. But instead of bemoaning the lack of attention, the team is trying to stress the advantages of flying under the radar.
"Everybody understands where we're ranked right now and we're perfectly fine with it," Droesch said. "We're not too concerned with rankings at this point in the season. We kind of like being underdogs and having that 'nobodies from nowhere' type of attitude."
"Nobody in that locker room cares about rankings," senior tri-captain Clem McNally added. "We know the talent and the potential that we have, and if anything, [being unranked] gives us extra motivation to go out and prove those people wrong."
That said, the team's expectations remain unchanged from prior seasons.
"Our goal is the same this year as it is every year," Droesch said. "It's to win the NESCAC championship and the national championship."
The Jumbos will attempt to meet this same goal with many of the same players from last year's roster, having maintained a solid core of players from last season. On offense, the team returns McNally and sophomores D.J. Hessler and Ryan Molloy, the top three goal-scorers from last season, who accounted for roughly 45 percent of the team's goal scoring output. Hessler, who finished sixth in the NESCAC in points last season, could be primed for a big season after emerging as a talented offensive force during his rookie year. Tufts will need a more explosive offense to break back into NESCAC championship contention after finishing sixth in the conference in goals scored in 2008.
"It's tough to say what our strengths are at this point because we haven't played any games yet," McNally said. "But we're really athletic and really fast, and we've got a group of talented attackmen and midfielders. Hopefully we'll be able to score a bunch of goals."
On the defensive side of the field, the team looks equally strong. In goal, Tufts returns senior Matt Harrigan, who has placed in the top three in the NESCAC in saves each of his three seasons as starter. Among those who will be protecting the net are senior tri-captain and long-pole defenseman Jordan Yarboro, senior Danny Bialosky and junior Eytan Saperstein.
"We're going to be tough defensively," Droesch said. "There's definitely a lot of potential there."
The Jumbos will not have much time to ease themselves into the new season as they play their first game this weekend against tough conference foe Amherst. Although Tufts has defeated Amherst five consecutive times dating back to the 2004 season, four of those five contests were decided by a margin of two goals or less.
"We're going to approach the game against Amherst like we would any game," McNally said. "They're a good NESCAC team, and it'll be no different than playing a Wheaton or a Mt. Ida or a Roanoke."
Still, as Tufts looks to rebound from its disappointing early exit from the NESCAC Tournament last season, the added weight of playing a conference game will be felt throughout the roster.
"Every NESCAC game is important, and I honestly can't single out any game in particular," Droesch said. "They're all huge."
