Both teams expected a showdown, as No. 5 Tufts played No. 18 Middlebury on Saturday afternoon. And just three minutes into the contest, it appeared that a tight game was exactly what the Jumbos would get. Middlebury, hosting Tufts in 20-degree weather that felt more like five degrees, jumped on the board first when junior midfielder Taylor Pirie beat senior keeper Patton Watkins for an early goal.
As the Jumbos trailed 1-0 early in the game, hardly anyone could have predicted the offensive eruption that soon followed. Tufts responded to Middlebury's early score with an eight-goal run of its own, creating a sizeable lead on the way to a 24-6 victory.
"We just kind of stayed relax, and played like we play," junior long stick midfielder Jeff Chang said. "We're never too worried about the score."
After Middlebury's opening score, senior captain and netminder Nate Gaudio made a series of saves to keep Tufts off the boards. Sophomore attackman John Uppgren was the first to break through for the Jumbos, wrapping around the right side of the cage and wristing a left-handed shot past Gaudio to tie the game at 1-1.
Minutes later, senior tri-captain Beau Wood ripped an off-the-mark shot, but junior attackman Cole Bailey collected the ricochet and finished a point-blank look to put Tufts on top. Bailey's classmate Chris Schoenhut then received a quick feed on the doorstep of the crease, shelving it past Gaudio to make the score 3-1.
The Jumbos gathered steam as sophomore midfielder Conor Helfrich excelled on faceoffs, controlling possessions and allowing Tufts to build momentum. Senior midfielder Dan Leventhal joined the scoring mix to pull Tufts ahead by three.
In the second period, Tufts continued to push ahead. Uppgren carried the ball in front of the cage and flicked a quick behind-the-back pass to Schoenhut who finished his second score of the afternoon. After Helfrich secured another possession for the Jumbos, Bailey crept around the left side of the cage to set up his second tally of the day.
Two minutes later, Wood drove down the alley and scored. Sophomore midfielder A.J. Enchill then tallied a score to make it 8-1 before the Panthers finally put a stop to the bleeding.
Middlebury controlled a quick possession off the ensuing faceoff, and sophomore attackman Tim Giarrusso picked up a ground ball to fire past Watkins and make it 8-2.
The Panthers' comeback was short-lived though, as the Jumbos rattled off three consecutive goals in two minutes to push the lead back up to 11-2.
Throughout the day, Tufts' attackmen and offensive midfielders put heavy pressure on Middlebury's defense as it attempted to clear the ball, forcing several turnovers in transition. Even when the Panthers did break across the midline, the Jumbos' defensive midfielders and close defenders shut out Middlebury's most potent scoring threats.
"Patton was seeing the ball really well that day," Chang said. "Our defense was also limiting Middlebury from getting high percentage opportunities."
Tufts maintained its quick pace at the start of the second half. Wood collected the ball off the opening faceoff and streaked down the right side of the field before passing to Schoenhut on the edge of the crease for another quick-strike score.
On the next drive, Wood went from lending the helping hand to taking it, receiving a pass from Bowers on the left wing and one-timing it past Gaudio to make it 14-3 Tufts. Enchill and Uppgren each added scores to put the Jumbos up by 13 before Broome found the back of the net for the Panthers.
But for every Panthers score, the Jumbos had four more in response, capped off by Wood, Bailey and Schoenhut combining for a textbook transition score as the third period closed out. 12
