If Tufts continues to tear through its opponents like it did over spring break, then President Obama may have to allocate part of his stimulus bill to rebuild the rest of the NESCAC's men's lacrosse programs.
The Jumbos (5-0, 3-0 NESCAC) stayed unbeaten over the vacation, winning all three of their games, including two over conference opponents. Tufts defeated Williams 13-9 on the road Saturday after having beaten Haverford 13-10 on Tuesday and Colby 14-9 the previous weekend. With the results, the nationally ranked No. 16 Jumbos are now tied with Bowdoin atop the conference standings.
"We're out-working and out-hustling other teams and just playing good lax," said senior tri-captain Clem McNally, who leads the team with 17 goals. "We're doing a good job of staying focused and not getting ahead of ourselves."
The victory over Williams was particularly sweet for the team given its acrimonious loss to the Ephs in the first round of last season's NESCAC Tournament. Despite having outscored opponents 16-5 in first quarters heading into Saturday's matchup, the Jumbos got off to a slow start against Williams and trailed 4-2 after the opening period.
"The first quarter was difficult," senior tri-captain Jordan Yarboro said. "We hadn't been down like this in any other game, and I think we came out a bit tight. The coaches took us aside and told us to take a deep breath and settle down. They reiterated that they still have confidence in us."
"We definitely talk a lot about winning the first five minutes, but our goal is always to win the full 60," McNally added. "We're never out to be up by 10 at the half. We're out to win in 60."
The team's apparent ability to regroup after a slow start marks an improvement over last year, when the Jumbos consistently got down on themselves when they trailed early.
"Last year, when we had slow starts, we wouldn't always respond," Yarboro said. "Fortunately, this year we responded and scored the next goal. [Fast starts] can be important, though. Having an early cushion builds confidence."
Tufts fought back during the second quarter, tying the game at 5-5 on a goal by senior attackman Peter Whitney, his first of the season. While the attacking trio of McNally and sophomores Ryan Molloy and D.J. Hessler have combined to produce over half of the Jumbos' points this season, it was exceptional midfield play that allowed Tufts to take control in the second half, as junior Jamie Atkins and senior Kevin Williams each had a pair of goals in the game.
"The attackmen put up more points by the nature of the position, but our offense has really been generated by the midfield," McNally said. "They charge up the field and draw slides, which allows us to make easier decisions when they get us the ball."
"The midfield hasn't had a ton of opportunities [to score] this season because our transition defense has been so great," Yarboro added. "We have a lot of speed, which has been a big point of emphasis for us because it allows us to outrun our opponents and push up the field to score goals. Guys like Jamie and Kevin and [sophomore] Tom Bragg were great on Saturday."
Tufts was once again lifted by the solid play of senior tri-captain Mike Droesch, who won 10 of 17 faceoffs for the Jumbos, and senior goalie Matt Harrigan, who collected 12 saves and is now third in the conference in save percentage.
"We had some great goaltending, we won some faceoffs, and our defense made a bunch of stops, so it became easy to string a bunch of goals together," McNally said.
Statistically, the game was extremely tight, with each team firing 38 shots and Tufts picking up just four more groundballs.
Next up for Tufts will be a home game today against non-conference opponent Mt. Ida. Even with the team's success thus far, Yarboro contends that there is still plenty of room for improvement.
"Our defense is still looking to play a complete game," he said. "As a defense, we need to make sure we play the full 60 minutes so we can give our offense a break and not have to score so many goals to win."
