Last season, the men's lacrosse team powered its way to an impressive 20-1 record and pocketed the school's first NCAA Div. III National Championship. This year, coach Mike Daly and his team are ranked No. 1 in the country and head into this weekend's opener with a target on their backs. After graduating several crucial players, the Jumbos must ignore the hype and focus on fundamentals. By reconstructing their defense, maintaining last year's offensive gains, perfecting the basics and staying healthy, the Jumbos have the potential to reproduce last year's successes. Here are five key areas for them to focus on.
1. Keeping the defense strong. A young Tufts defense must step up to fill the shoes left by last year's seniors. Last spring, Tufts graduated tri-captain Eytan Saperstein (LA '10), a gritty defenseman who, with 90 ground balls, consistently forced turnovers and set the pace for the Jumbos' defense. His departure leaves a void that the Jumbos' younger defensemen must fill. Senior quad-captain Alec Bialosky, who racked in 69 ground balls last season, leads a capable defensive squad.
Sophomore Matt Callahan, a transfer from Div. I Fairfield, will be an essential component of the Jumbos' new defensive unit. Sophomores Sam Gardner and John Heard, who both gained critical in-game experience last season, are expected to step up as well, and keep up last year's pace of holding opponents to a .211 conversion percentage in man-up situations.
2. Amping up the attack. As opposed to the defensive unit, the Jumbos are returning with the entire starting attacking group from a year ago. Last season, Tufts' offensive leaders dominated opponents, gaining nationwide recognition. Senior quad-captain D.J. Hessler, who tied for the most points scored in the NESCAC, tallied 37 goals and was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's All-American team. Fellow senior and quad-captain Ryan Molloy was quick on his heels with 36 goals. Hessler and Molloy also led the team with 54 and 29 assists, respectively.
While the Jumbos outscored opponents 268 to 174 last season, it is even more notable that only 103 of their goals were unassisted. This statistic speaks to the Jumbos' ability to work together in a team-oriented offensive strategy. Junior Sean Kirwan, who led the team with 49 goals, also returns as a formidable threat. Tufts must look for continued offensive dominance from these players and must continue to pressure defenses even when shorthanded, something they did last season, when the Jumbos scored six man-down goals.
3. Maintaining focus. Another key this season will be the degree to which the unit can ignore the hype of its top ranking. Not only does a No. 1-preseason ranking bring increased pressure and scrutiny to a team, it also warrants attention and challenges from rivals. With threatening teams like No. 2 ranked Stevenson on its schedule, the Jumbos must keep their noses to the grindstone, allowing neither expectation nor intimidation to affect their performance.
4. Mechanics Last season, Tufts was the most penalized team in the NESCAC, posting an in-conference-penalties-per-game-average of 5.11. It would be wise for the Jumbos to clean up their fundamentals in order to reduce the number of man-down scenarios their young defense must face.
The area in which the Jumbos dominated opponents last year was groundballs, scooping up 829 to opponents' 691. By maintaining this margin and controlling the ball, Tufts can severely limit the time of possession for other teams. The defense and midfield must force turnovers and capitalize on these opportunities, in order to give a skilled and experienced offense the opportunity to do what it does best.
5. Staying Healthy Facing several preseason injuries to key players, the Jumbos must stay healthy throughout the season. Kirwan is currently out with a broken hand, and senior attacker Brian Donovan is rehabilitating after undergoing knee surgery. Callahan, who has a bruised rib, is out for now but expected to return soon. If Tufts returns these players and stays healthy this spring, it has all the tools necessary to keep that No. 1 ranking all year long.
