Coming off of the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history, the men's lacrosse team entered the 2008 season brimming with confidence. The squad had posted a program-best 13-4 record in 2007 and battled its way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national runner-up Gettysburg.
With the program's recent surge of success -- Tufts was ranked nationally as high as No. 3 in 2007 and No. 2 in 2006 -- came the respect of coaches and players of other Div. III programs across the country. Last year, the team was recognized by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) coaches' poll as the No. 9-ranked school nationwide.
But the 2008 campaign proved to be a step back for the Jumbos, a sour note for a program on the rise. Tufts initially met expectations, climbing to as high as No. 5 in the national polls, but faltered late in the season. The squad finished at a disappointing 9-6, 6-3 NESCAC, and prematurely bowed out of the NESCAC Tournament's first round against the lower-seeded Williams by a score of 14-6.
Due to last year's misfire, the Jumbos now find themselves left off of the preseason national top 20 rankings heading into their opening matchup against Amherst this Saturday. As the Jumbos turn the page on last season's difficult finish, rankings remain a minor -- yet telling, nonetheless -- measure for the team.
"Last year there was a lot of hype about us as a team, and I think we paid a little bit too much attention to it early on in the season," senior tri-captain defenseman Jordan Yarboro said. "It might have caught up to us by the end of our schedule last year. This year we're much more focused on our team and working on improving ourselves first."
"We had a pretty disappointing season, and so we didn't earn the ranking going into this season," junior midfielder Zach Groen added. "It's definitely made us hungrier this year. There are a number of teams in the NESCAC ranked in the top 20 right now, and that's fine by us. The rankings don't really mean much at this point, and all we can do is go out and play hard this weekend."
The NESCAC is traditionally considered the most competitive conference in Div. III, and this year is certainly no exception. Three teams find themselves among the preseason national top 20, with perennial power Middlebury leading the way at No. 4. The Panthers have earned an NCAA Tournament berth the past 11 years and have taken home the national title on three of those trips. Conference foes Wesleyan and Williams have earned preseason accolades as well, weighing in at No. 12 and No. 15, respectively.
Not only does the team's schedule feature the standard slate of grueling in-conference battles, but this season the team will face off against three non-conference foes that also grade in the preseason national rankings -- No. 10 Endicott, No. 17 Western New England and No. 18 Haverford. The mindset behind compiling such a stiff pile of talent on the team's schedule is simple; to be the best in the country, you've got to beat the best in the country.
"The NESCAC is obviously an extremely competitive conference," Groen said. "In both of the past two years, three teams from our conference have made it to the NCAA Tournament. And while we certainly have a difficult conference schedule, our out-of-conference opponents are also very competitive. [Coach Mike Daly] really preaches the importance of having that competitive edge over our opponents, and I think that our schedule really reflects that commitment to hard work and determination."
"Coach Daly has built up our schedule to prove that we are the best team in the nation," senior goaltender Matt Harrigan added. "I think it's all about proving ourselves via tough competition. Overall, I think we all come from good high school programs where winning is the main thing we strive for."
One visible difference on this year's team will be apparent on the sideline. While Daly will be continuing his successful run with the Jumbos, entering his 11th year with the team, former defensive coach Michael Higgins has left the program. Filling his shoes and leading the team's defensive unit will be former player-turned-coach Brett Holm (LA '07) and assistant football coach Scott Rynne.
"We were very comfortable with Coach Higgins' defensive schemes and style of coaching," Groen said. "But the fact that Coach Holm has been in the system for six years now -- five of those as a player and one as a coach -- [means] he should do a great job coaching our defense. He certainly knows a lot of what Coach Higgins worked with on defense and how he ran our schemes. Coach Holm is a great fit because he already knows the defensive personnel and their tendencies as players."
As the Jumbos have been gearing up for their regular-season opener against the Amherst Lord Jeffs, the players have been focusing on firming up a couple areas that might have hindered them down the stretch last year.
"Probably the biggest thing we've worked on has been communication," Harrigan said. "Last year we just didn't communicate that well, which led to a lot of goals being scored. We've done a lot of situational drills which make us communicate more, which has helped. In terms of defense, I think we've really tried hard to become the heart and soul of the team. As they say, defense does win championships."
"We want to be the toughest team out there physically and mentally," Yarboro added. "We didn't have the mental fortitude to come back in some of those close games last year; this year, we're going to look to bring it every game. We know that we're capable of taking on a variety of different challenges."
