Last year, in the men's lacrosse team's 2013 campaign, the Jumbos pulled out a late fourth-quarter win over No. 2 Stevenson University to hand the Mustangs their first loss of the year on Mar. 19.
This year, No. 5 Stevenson returned the favor on Mar. 18, besting the Jumbos 15-9 at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills, Md.
It was the only loss sustained by the No. 3 Tufts team over the spring recess, as NESCAC wins over Colby and Trinity served as bookends to the break. The Jumbos improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
More recently, the Jumbos squared off in Hartford, Conn. against the Trinity Bantams on Saturday. After an underwhelming performance against defending national champion Stevenson earlier in the week, Tufts needed a strong performance to get back on track.
"There were some things we had to address, coming back and going into Trinity," senior tri-captain defenseman Kane Delaney said. "We did that, definitely, and today against Trinity we wanted it more."
The Jumbos started off with an offensive prowess that has been typical throughout most games this season. Prior to the loss at Stevenson, Tufts was averaging 21 goals per game. Against the Mustangs, they could not break into double digits and were limited to just nine. On Saturday, however, the Jumbos found their stride and put up 22 on the Bantams.
Senior attackman Jack McDermott tallied the first goal of the game and his second on the season to get the ball rolling for the Jumbos. By the end of the first period, Tufts had mounted a 6-1 advantage led by junior attackman Chris Schoenhut's four goals in the period.
The second quarter saw continued dominance by Tufts: The team blanked Trinity and took a 13-1 lead going into the intermission. Senior tri-captain midfielder Beau Wood and junior attackman Cole Bailey each tacked on two scores during the period, as it appeared Tufts was on its way to a commanding victory.
"I think it was the extra amount of focus that we put into, 'How do we react to a loss,'" McDermott said. "I think we put our best foot forward, and the only thing worse than a loss is then going and playing a poor game on top of that. I think we did a really good job of focusing, and we didn't take Trinity lightly either. We knew they were going to be a skilled team, so we went out there and scored a bunch of goals."
Though Trinity, led by junior midfielder James O'Connell's pair of goals, outscored Tufts 6-4 in the third quarter, Tufts regained control to seal the win in the fourth. The Jumbos fired in five straight goals before the Bantams could answer with just 1:20 remaining in regulation.
"I think, overall, we played a lot quicker," Delaney said. "[Head] Coach [Mike] Daly tells it to us a lot: 'Play fast and quick, but don't hurry.' I think we really did that well today [against Trinity]. We swarmed the loose balls in the middle of the field."
A key statistic for the Jumbos was groundball wins. Compared to a 49-27 deficit in the Stevenson game, Tufts earned a 40-25 advantage against Trinity.
"That type of stat is usually indicative of who is being the hunter, and today we were definitely hunting," Delaney said. "It was really good to see -- especially coming off of a game where we were really disappointed with the effort we had against Stevenson."
When the Jumbos traveled to Maryland on Tuesday to take on the Mustangs, they knew they had their work cut out for them.
"Even though they're defending national champions, we went into the game fully expecting to dominate every phase of the game," Delaney said. "Being who they are, they made a lot of plays, and really at the end of the day, they played a lot better us and earned the win without a doubt."
Stevenson controlled both ends of the field against Tufts, posting huge numbers defensively and offensively. Sophomore goalie DimitriPecunes made a career-high 16 saves between the pipes, while three Stevenson players -- junior midfielders Tony Rossi and Colin Dabney, and senior attackman Glen Tompkins -- posted career-highs in point totals.
The Mustangs also limited a previously red-hot Jumbos offense to just 39 shots, a mark 22 shots below the Jumbos' season average at the time. Tufts came within one goal of Stevenson at the 4:44 mark in the second quarter after Wood and senior midfielder Dan Leventhal scored back-to-back goals, but then three-straight goals from Stevenson would leave the game out of reach for good. Stevenson did not trail Tufts once during the four quarters of play.
"When you play a great team like that -- when you make a mistake, they're going to make you pay for it," McDermott said. "That's what we saw there. There are some games where we can kind of make up for our own mistakes, whether it's based on athleticism or skill, but when you're playing a top team like them, they're going to expose some things."
The first contest of the weeklong spring break came against Colby College on Mar. 15 in the team's second home game of the season. Though the Mules kept it close through the first three quarters, the Jumbos went on a 12-0 run in the last 25 minutes of play to cap off a resounding 20-8 victory.
Tufts was led by sophomore attackman John Uppgren's five goals and three assists, and Wood's four goals and one assist. As a result of Wood's play in the Colby game and 10-point performance in a big win against Stevens Institute of Technology on Mar. 11, he was named NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time in his career.
The Jumbos also dominated in most statistical categories, boasting a 55-35 advantage in shots, a 52-36 advantage in groundballs and a 22-10 advantage in faceoff wins.
In the midst of a busy schedule, the Jumbos also got out for a day of community service over the long break. Pairing with Cradles to Crayons of Boston, an organization dedicated to providing children in low-income or homeless situations with essential items like clothing, toys and school supplies for free, the team helped make packages that are sent out to families in the Greater Boston area.
Though the team has recovered on the field and looks to be in top form heading into the remainder of the season, the loss to Stevenson will be something Tufts learns from as it progresses.
"I think it was a good experience for the team," McDermott said. "I think, going forward, those are going to be the types of teams that we are going to have to play. So I'm happy that we got it out of the way in March and not come May."
