The men's club lacrosse team has the North East Collegiate Lacrosse League (NECLL) finals in its sights. Many of the players have been there before, and it's becoming the norm for a team that's won the last two league championships, most recently beating UMass Amherst 11-5 in 2011.
Not bad for a team that practices just once a year.
Though this year's squad is without sophomore goalkeeper Emmett Mercer, who posted 13 saves in last year's championship effort and is now studying abroad, many other talented players have returned and led the team to a 5-1 regular season record this spring. One key piece is senior Adam Mandell, who had five goals and five assists in the team's final four games last season and was twice named to the South Carolina All-State team in high school.
Another crucial returner is senior midfielder Chris Mutzel, who not only serves an integral role on the field but is also a league commissioner for the NECLL. Senior attackman Ashton Imlay is also back, serving as the team's treasurer. In last year's final four games, Imlay produced six goals and added three assists.
"The quality of players and team cohesion has always been a constant surprise to me," senior defenseman Jacob Schiller said. "The players all come from different backgrounds and social circles but mesh together amazingly well."
The success of the team is due in large part to the sheer talent level of Tufts' varsity lacrosse program. With many varsity hopefuls getting cut, the club team receives a constant infusion of high-quality talent. Most of the newcomers are introduced to the team in the fall, when the players are just starting to get acclimated to the team and seeing what kind of squad they will become in the spring.
"Here, there is much less time commitment, and we are much more laid back than varsity," senior attackman and team president Andy Thorne said of club lacrosse's appeal. "We are all just in it to play some lacrosse because we love the game. There is much more of a sense of team than if we were intramural, and we have social events and things like that, which you don't really get with intramurals. In addition, the competition is still fairly high."
As a non-tier club team, the squad is coach-less, does not receive funding from Tufts and is not recognized by the university. It is led by Thorne and sophomore vice president Jordan Brandes, as well as seniors Josh Wilner, Matt Rosen and Marty Donovan. Senior Luke Metcalf has been out with an injury.
Young players have also stepped up to contribute, including freshmen Sam Aronson and Joel Berdie, sophomore Justin Chang and junior Thomas Galassi.
The last scheduled game of the spring regular season against Conn. College was rained out, but the team managed to finish with a 5-1 record - not including their undefeated campaign in the fall. Before the rainout, they lost to interleague rival Westfield State by one goal, which came as a bit of a surprise to a team that doesn't lose often.
"They had a coach and a full roster, and we had only two subs," Thorne said. "We will definitely be seeing them in the championship on May 6, and things will probably be different."
To get to the championship game, the team will first have to make it through the playoffs. The competition in the NECLL includes Western New England University, UMass Amherst and new additions UMass Lowell and Saint Anselm.
According to Thorne, the league was founded in 2006 by Tufts students, and since its inception the team has been anything but businesslike. But the players like it that way. It works for them.
"We went up to UMass Lowell for a game early in the season. Everyone was exhausted, and we only had a couple subs," Thorne said. "We also showed up 15 minutes late, didn't warm up or stretch, whereas the other team had been there warming up for a while. They had a coach, about 20 people on the bench and about 30 fans in the stands."
"We beat them 12-6."
