The graduation of the heart of the men's lacrosse team's offense left more than a few question marks around the team's chances at a third consecutive appearance in the national championship game. After receiving a controversial No. 3 preseason ranking — a spot shared with Dickinson — Tufts will have to be stellar from day one of the season to stay atop the standings.
In order to prepare for their March 10 season opener against a virtually unknown Hamilton squad on the road, the Jumbos scheduled a pair of Div. I scrimmages just three days into the official practice season and two more this past weekend.
Following their first full week of practice, the Jumbos welcomed Div. II Merrimack and Div. III Keene State to Bello Field on Saturday and looked to improve on their performance against Yale and Quinnipiac the previous weekend.
"We wanted to iron out some of the kinks that were exposed last weekend against QU and Yale," senior co-captain attackman Sean Kirwan said of Saturday's games. "There weren't too many major concerns, just little things like stick skills and communication … The wind made it very difficult to hear one another, but I felt our team did a great job of attacking this obstacle and effectively communicating."
Tufts' projected starters defeated Merrimack despite surrendering nine man-up opportunities and falling behind early. Later in the afternoon, the reserves lost a narrow battle against Keene State. The games provided valuable experience for the young offense and helped build confidence for the solid returning defensive unit.
"The ‘D' has been playing very well and making some great plays," senior co-captain midfielder Kevin McCormick said. "But there are still things we need to improve on, as is the case for every position at this point in the season."
The previous weekend, the Jumbos traveled to New Haven, Conn., to take on Quinnipiac and Yale with a unique opportunity to let the entire roster play against top-notch teams.
Though no official scores were posted, Tufts was pleased with its first competition of 2012. The Jumbos were bested by Yale, but against Quinnipiac the starters took the first half, 8-5, before the board was reset for the reserves.
"It was a great opportunity to get to play teams at that level," senior co-captain attackman Sean Kirwan said. "It was a solid first scrimmage and we did some good things out there, but we definitely have some work to do before March 10."
The Jumbos are bolstered by a talented group of underclassmen eager to step into new roles left vacant by last year's graduating class. At this early point in the year, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
"It's definitely been a work in progress … but that is to be expected," Kirwan said. "We are lucky to have a lot of guys who seem to be stepping up and looking to contribute. We just need to continue to take steps forward and work on building that chemistry. The more people we can get to be at a level where they can be serious contributors, the better off we will be once the regular season starts."
The Jumbos now have two weeks to work out the kinks before their official season opener. Their annual "Judgment Day" will take place next weekend — a valuable step in perfecting the team's communication.
"Since day one our focus has been on Hamilton," McCormick said. "This two-week period will be great for our preparation. We've learned a lot from our scrimmages and practices so we know what we have to improve on."
"Coach [Mike] Daly stresses the importance of fundamentals," added freshman Tim LaBeau, one young standout on Saturday. "These past two scrimmages gave a great opportunity to examine our fundamentals. Everyone got the opportunity to play, but it's in a game-like intensity where we are looking to win and take steps forward towards Hamilton."
