Normally, a 5-10, up-and-down season, like the one the Tufts men's lacrosse team experienced in 1999, inspires little more than shrugs. However, the simple fact that there were peaks to accompany the valleys this year made it a significant step forward from seasons past.
A new coach and an alarmingly inexperienced roster inspired a fear that the team could be as bad or perhaps even worse than it was a year ago, when it went through a 2-12 debacle. However, the infusion of 15 freshmen, comprising over half of the roster, accompanied by a new attitude instilled by first-year coach Mike Daly, helped the team take its first step along the path that they hope will lead to NESCAC prominence.
The team got one final chance to measure up against quality opposition this year, closing out its season in Connecticut against playoff-bound Wesleyan. Junior attacker Greg Molinelli opened the scoring less than a minute into the match, before the Cardinals answered with three goals. Senior attacker Bill Hurwitz countered to make it 3-2 after one quarter.
The second quarter saw the game swing sharply in Wesleyan's favor. Five unanswered goals gave the Cardinals control of the game, before a goal by senior midfielder Trevor Soponis stopped Weslayan's run to make the score 8-3 at the half.
The Jumbos mounted a mini-run to open the third, with sophomore attacker Brian Hwang scoring 23 seconds into the half to cut the deficit to 8-4. Another Wesleyan goal was answered by a pair from sophomore attacker Dan Kollar, and the score stood at a respectable 9-6.
However, two Wesleyan goals in the final three minutes of the quarter made the score 11-6. It was 12-6 when Tufts made a desperate last stand, on goals from freshman attacker Chris Taylor and Kollar, with 5:58 and 5:39 remaining, respectively. Wesleyan scored twice more, though, coming away with a 14-8 victory.
"Wesleyan is a playoff team, and the way we played with them speaks to where we are going," Daly said. "We battled back and kept fighting."
The loss came on the heels of the team's most dramatic victory of the season, when the host Jumbos defeated MIT 8-7 in overtime.
The game was a seesaw battle through much of the first half, with the Engineers striking first, scoring 4:07 into the first quarter. Tufts answered back on goals by Molinelli and Hwang, before MIT tied the game with six minutes remaining in the period. Hwang's second goal gave the Jumbos a 3-2 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Tufts appeared to take control, with goals by junior midfielder Matt Adler with 9:46 left, and freshman attacker Jim Mandler with 7:56 remaining. MIT goals with 4:31 and 1:07 left in the first half cut Tufts' lead to 5-4 at halftime, however.
From there, the Jumbos' offense went cold. MIT scored goals with 8:13 and 51 seconds left in the third quarter, turning a one-goal Tufts lead into a one-goal deficit. The Engineers' run continued into the fourth quarter, as they scored their fifth consecutive goal with 7:25 remaining. It took a goal by Soponis with 4:58 left in the game to break the slump that had extended over half of the game (nearly 33 minutes). The next scoreless string was significantly shorter, however, as it took Hwang just 58 seconds to follow with the game-tying goal.
Knotted at seven apiece, the game went into a five-minute, sudden-death overtime period, Tufts' first overtime this year. After four minutes of high drama, Taylor sent everyone home, scoring a goal with 59 seconds left in OT. His score gave Tufts an 8-7 victory to savor.
Kirk Lutwyler was sharp in net, saving 15 shots, including one in overtime. Molinelli and freshman midfielder David Supple each contributed two assists in the win.
It is wins like that one that have members of the team thinking big about what is ahead.
"We are constantly improving," freshman defender Andy Elting said. "In a year or two I think we should be a Top 20 team in Division III."
"With hard work in the offseason, hopefully we can look to next year as a season with no regrets," freshman midfielder Brian Cunningham said. "Our future is bright."
While much of the team is looking forward to next season, everyone around the team is cautious to not heap too much praise on this season's success. While wins like the 22-2 rout of Assumption or the team's 10-7 shocker over Trinity showed clear improvement, nobody is foolish enough to believe that the job is done.
"This season we have surprised a lot of people and turned a lot of heads," Kollar said. "However, if anyone thinks we are satisfied, we are not."
In the offseason, the team will say goodbye to two seniors, a relatively small number that belies how important Bill Hurwitz and Trevor Soponis were to the team. They provided leadership and stability that the team's young nucleus sorely needed.
"Bill and Trevor have been with us through it all," Daly said. "They finally got a little bit more of a reward this year. I can't thank them enough."
What will be lost with the graduating seniors, Daly hopes will be offset by an offseason program stressing fundamentals, such as throwing and catching. He added that he hopes the team returns in better shape and with improved stick skills.
Kollar and Molinelli, the team's biggest offensive contributors, will return in 2000. In addition, the young defensive corps will gain a much-needed year of experience, and should make the Jumbos more difficult to score on next season.
"Offense wins games, defense wins championships," Lutwyler said.
So while much unfinished business remains for the coming seasons, the program finally took a step forward in 1999.
"We knew we could come out and play with anyone we faced, and we did," Kollar said. "The overall record is not indicative of the achievements this team has earned."
