It's been a while since the No. 1−ranked men's lacrosse team has taken to the turf at Bello Field, yet the Jumbos looked anything but rusty during Saturday's two home scrimmages. Both the first−stringers, who played against Keene State, and the second−stringers, who played against Wheaton College, dominated the opposition. The Jumbos were explosive on offense, taking down the Owls 19−7 and dismantling the Lyons 15−8.
In the first game, though the team started slow, its returning talent on offense came out strong. Attackmen D.J. Hessler and Ryan Molloy and midfielder Matt Witko — all of whom are senior quad−captains — as well as juniors Sean Kirwan, an attackman, and Kevin McCormick, a midfielder, dismantled Keene State's defense. Kirwan led the team with six goals after tallying a team−high 49 in 2010.
"I think that we did a lot of good things," Molloy said. "There's still a lot we need to improve on, and it's still early. We definitely are at an advantage returning five of us, but at the same time there are a lot of new faces. … We were happy, but we're never satisfied. We're always striving for perfection."
Perfect or not, the real story came from Tufts' defense. At the end of last season, a rattling number of question marks remained in the backfield for the Jumbos after the graduation six defensive leaders — including defenders Eytan Saperstein (LA '10).
But from the look of things Saturday, the defense has not lost a step.
Senior quad−captain Alec Bialosky, the only returning starting longstick midfielder, put up a solid all−around performance and led the defense while scoring a hat trick. Sophomores Sam Gardner and John Heard, junior Mark Findaro and freshman Dan Alles, all defenders, also showed their value behind the midline. Alles' performance — just two weeks into his collegiate career — was an especially welcome surprise.
The Jumbos will need their defense to stay strong, with junior starting goalkeeper Steve Foglietta and sophomore defender Matt Callahan — a transfer from Div. I Fairfield — both sidelined with injuries. Saturday was a good start.
"I thought we just played really well," junior midfielder Nick Rhoads said. "I think one of the keys to that is that our offense is so impressive. … Just the fact that we practice against such a good offense helps us when we play against teams that don't have as much skill because we're so used to playing against them."
Against Wheaton just 30 minutes later, the talent and depth of the Jumbos' 48−man roster became evident. Though several veteran Jumbos returned to the field sporadically, the minutes were dominated by less experienced players.
The change in personnel did little to slow the team's strong play, as Wheaton fell behind 11−2 in the first half alone. By the fourth quarter, with fatigue undoubtedly playing a part and Tufts' upperclassmen leaving the game, the Lyons had closed the gap slightly. Still, though no official score was released, the scoreboard read 15−8 at the end of regulation.
"[Saturday] was just a great opportunity for everyone to get a chance to play," Molloy said of the Wheaton scrimmage. "Those guys push the starters every day. … There's no garbage minutes, so they're out there trying to earn time, and I feel comfortable with any of them stepping on the field at any time. They're all going to be really good when they're older, and it was exciting to see them play."
Overall, the day of competition was very telling of the possibility for another history−making season. But coming into the season at No. 1 in the nation is never easy. Though the Jumbos will have two weeks of practice to streamline their game before their season−opener March 12 against Amherst, no scrimmages can perfectly replicate the brutal competition of NESCAC lacrosse.
"The next two weeks, we're going to be focusing on Tufts," Molloy said. "We're the only team that can hurt us in the country. … It's going to be a long two weeks and a tough two weeks, but we're just going to be focusing on us."
