The men's lacrosse team posted mixed results during spring break, winning a key NESCAC match-up with Williams 7-4 before dropping its next two games to Roanoke, 20-8, and Wesleyan, 12-4, respectively - and seeing its ranking subsequently suffer as well.
Despite entering the break ranked fifth nationally with a 2-0 record, a 1-2 showing since has dropped the Jumbos to No. 16.
Tufts (3-2) entered the Saturday home contest against Wesleyan three slots ahead of the Cardinals, who were ranked eighth in the national polls. But the Cardinals consistently outplayed the Jumbos throughout the first three quarters of the game and coasted to the 12-4 win.
Tufts scored on a power-play goal by sophomore attackman Jamie Atkins in the seventh minute of the game to cut Wesleyan's early lead to 2-1. But the Cardinals rattled off 10 unanswered goals, and by the end of the third, Tufts faced an insurmountable 12-1 deficit. Three fourth-quarter goals did little to alter the Jumbos' post-game outlook.
"We're not playing well right now," junior midfielder Joe Cavallo said. "We need to get back to the basics and get back on track. Fortunately, it's still pretty early, but every game from here on out will be tough."
The statistics tell the story of the game: Tufts was out-shot 41-15 and picked up 14 fewer ground balls than Wesleyan. This contest also marked the first time since the 2006 campaign that the men's lacrosse team has lost consecutive games.
Yet the losing effort did offer one positive note, as the game saw the return of junior attackman Clem McNally from a broken jaw that had sidelined him for the first four games of the season. McNally led the team in goals last season and notched an assist in his 2008 debut.
Tuesday saw Tufts traveling south to Virginia for a non-conference game against the No. 18 Roanoke Maroons. Last season, the Jumbos prevailed over Roanoke in a 13-12 battle. But this year, the Maroons handed the Jumbos their most lopsided defeat since 2000, a 20-8 drubbing.
"It is what it is," senior midfielder Brett Holm said. "We ran into two very good teams, and we haven't come out with the same intensity. At this point we just need to focus on the next game and not worry about other distractions."
Tufts played Roanoke evenly through the first quarter and held a 3-2 advantage early in the second. But the Maroons scored 13 goals over the next 25 minutes to take complete control of the game. Roanoke dominated possession of the ball, holding a 68-32 advantage in ground balls. Sophomore attackmen Ashton Hotchkiss and Matt Quinton contributed four goals each for the Maroons.
In the first of their three spring break games on March 15, the Jumbos hosted Williams to open their conference season. Last year, the Ephs handed Tufts its only regular season NESCAC loss, but the Jumbos punched back with a 7-4 home victory of their own.
"It's not about revenge," Cavallo said. "Every NESCAC game is a big game. Our defense was really clicking and our offense was playing efficiently."
The game was low-scoring and defensive-minded, with each team reaching double-digit shots only once in a quarter. Tufts took an early 2-0 lead, but the Ephs fought back, eventually tying the game at four before the Tufts squad pulled away.
Senior attackman Connor Ginsberg tallied three goals to help lift the Jumbos to victory, and freshman attackman D.J. Hessler continued his stellar play by netting another goal. Hessler leads the squad with nine goals and 15 points.
Next on the agenda for Tufts is a home contest tomorrow against conference foe Conn. College, a team that is unranked but has given the Jumbos trouble in the past.
"We've had some very good games with them," Holm said. "They've all been within three or four goals. And they just lost to Middlebury by only one goal, so it will be a good game."
