The Tufts men’s lacrosse team extended their perfect season and continued their dominance in the NESCAC with a 16–11 win over No. 16 Middlebury. On a dreary Saturday afternoon in Medford, the No. 1 ranked Jumbos capped off a spirited Senior Day, dismantling the Panthers early and picking apart their transition defense while overpowering the Panthers with feeds to the crease.
After nearly seven minutes of scoreless play to start the game, junior attacker Jack Regnery eventually broke the ice with a streaking upper left corner strike. The goal came after capitalizing off a failed Middlebury clearance and a key ground ball scoop by junior midfielder Ben Clarke. Less than three minutes later, senior attacker Max Ettinghausen unleashed a low-to-high rocket of his own as Tufts continued to build momentum. With three additional unanswered scores in the first, Tufts built an early five-goal cushion, setting a commanding tone that defined its control over Middlebury for the rest of the day.
Graduate-student goalkeeper Conner Garzone played a pivotal role for the Jumbos, making clutch stops between the pipes and setting up the team’s lightning-quick clears. On most clearances, Garzone acted as a quarterback, launching accurate and unafraid deep passes to teammates running routes across the middle of the field and down the alleys.
Senior attacker Callum Wood commented, “Garzone had a phenomenal day. It felt like he made every single save in the first quarter and really just played lights out.” Garzone’s reflexes in net and passing precision ignited many of Tufts’ transition goals down the stretch. Tufts leads the division in clear percentage, posting a 91% successful clear rate, which has been a key factor in their perfect season so far.
The Jumbos came out firing in the third quarter, tacking on four more goals — the last coming in dramatic fashion from senior goaltender Ben Friedman, who shot a full-field laser to bring the lead to 11 goals. The onslaught was finally brought to a halt with a quick corner snipe from Middlebury junior midfielder Cooper DeMallie with three minutes and 45 seconds left to play in the third quarter. The Panthers began to rally late with another goal from DeMallie and a goal from sophomore attacker Will Ford in the closing minutes of the third quarter. As the rain roared on in the final 15 seconds, the Panthers kept their composure, displaying crisp passes, moving their feet off the ball and finding good outside looks. Middlebury refused to go quietly, stringing together four more goals before the final whistle and stirring up some late-game turbulence for Tufts. DeMallie and Ford led the surge, with each recording a hat trick.
Tufts has relied heavily on their fast breaks and transition-heavy offense to produce points this season. While other Division III lacrosse teams slow the game down on offense, taking their time to set up calculated dodges from up top, Tufts attackers carry an almost constant green light to shoot the ball. This strategy draws primarily on the individual skills of the attackers, and while it can be hard to defend against, sometimes it takes a while to heat up. In this case, it took nearly seven minutes for the Jumbos to break through, as they opened the game with a series of brief, unproductive possessions.
Regnery continued to strengthen his junior year campaign, as he netted five goals on the day, bringing his season total to 39. While his shot selection may appear questionable at times, for Regnery there is seemingly no such thing as a bad shot. Regnery was supported by dynamic junior attacker Brooks Hauser and senior attacker Max Ettinghausen, who each added hat tricks of their own.
When it comes to confidence, there is no mistaking the swagger Tufts lacrosse plays with — from slinging behind-the-back passes in the opening minutes of play to an atmosphere of inevitability, that winning isn’t just possible, it’s expected. Tufts is certainly no stranger to being atop the Division III leaderboards and has claimed consecutive Division III titles before. Much of this success can be credited to the players’ relentless dedication and countless hours of practice that go on behind the scenes.
Speaking on the team’s off-the-field commitment, Wood commented on the unrelenting work ethic that fuels the Jumbos’ success. “I think the biggest thing people don't always realize is the amount of work that goes on outside of scheduled practices. After every practice and game, there are guys staying behind to get in an extra lift or spend more time on the wall—really doing whatever they can to get better.”
The championship-caliber teams of 2014 and 2015 redefined the program, playing with fast-paced flair and a fearless offense that remains in today’s team. A decade later, Tufts men’s lacrosse finds itself in familiar territory — chasing perfection and eyeing back-to-back national championships. And the winning culture of men’s lacrosse has never really faded — even through a coaching transition in 2016, the Jumbos climbed the hill for another Division III title eight years later. While being undefeated is a mark of excellence, it can also be a double-edged sword. For Tufts, the only risk is that this success could quietly breed satisfaction, the kind that lulls a team into complacency. The moment a team starts believing it can’t lose is often the moment it becomes the most vulnerable. As the season progresses, the challenge now isn’t just beating opponents but staying hungry and focused on one game at a time. Complacency, not lack of talent, is the only thing that can topple the mighty Jumbos.
