Tufts at 4-0 after three wins in one week

The No. 3 Jumbos are 4-0 after sweeping all three match-ups of the last week, including their first -- and likely their toughest -- conference match-up of the regular season against the then-12th-ranked Middlebury Panthers. Tufts matched the program's sixth-highest single-game goal total in a 24-16 win in the home opener against Keene State, then overcame Middlebury 16-13 and undefeated Endicott 18-10.

The Jumbos heated up early on Sunday despite sub-zero temperatures with the wind chill on Bello Field, scoring five goals in the first three minutes against the Endicott Gulls. Sophomore attackman Danny Murphy shined in the opening minutes, picking up two unassisted goals, both scored off crease rolls.

The Endicott defense was rife with mistakes, with their own goalie knocking the ball off the back line, handing the Jumbos a free possession. After senior attackman Zach Richman made it 3-0 off an assist from sophomore attackman John Cordrey with 13:11 on the clock, the Gulls called a timeout, but the Jumbos went on to add five more goals before the end of the quarter.

“We knew we didn’t want to come out slowly, so we had the mentality to start fast, and I think we did that,” Richman said. “The face-off and defense did a great job to make stops and get the ball to the offense early on in the game."

Rounding out the scoring in the first quarter, sophomore attackman Nick Katz ripped a shot from 12-15 yards out, taking advantage of a pick, and Murphy added three more, all unassisted, to bring the score to 7-1. Katz added another long-range shot, finding the top left corner to make it eight. Endicott got a goal back, but the Jumbos maintained an 8-2 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Twenty seconds into the second quarter, the Jumbos added another goal when senior co-captain defenseman Tucker Mathers drew the double team and fed wide-open Richman in front of the net. The Jumbos rained shots on the Gulls, with six coming in a two-minute window, before the seventh by senior attackman Michael Mattson finally found the net. A minute later, Mattson added a second.

For the rest of the half and into the first minute of the third quarter, Murphy played tag with Endicott senior attackman Will Jennings, with Murphy scoring three times for the Jumbos, each followed by a goal from Jennings. The streak brought Murphy's total to seven goals on the day, six of which were unassisted, to go along with a pair of assists.

Coach Casey D'Annolfo praised sophomore face-off specialist Henry Hollen for his performance at the face-off X.

“That’s the way that we normally want to play. [Hollen] did a really great job at the face-off X and won us the balls that got us early possessions,” D’Annolfo said. “Our attack and midfielders were fantastic, taking a lot of quick opportunities. We like to play at that tempo and attack like that.”

The second half saw a host of bench players get playing time, including every first-year on the roster but one. D’Annolfo emphasized that giving the whole roster more game experience was a priority, and the starters on Sunday gave the team a chance to do this by generating a 14-4 lead by halftime.

The Jumbo offense slowed down in the second half, but Mattson added a third goal and the team capitalized on three man-up opportunities. Despite the Gulls scoring six goals, with sophomore midfielder Bryan MacManus scoring four, the Jumbos were too far ahead to be caught, and the contest ended 18-10.

Friday night was a tougher competition for Tufts, with Middlebury historically one of the top teams in the always-tough NESCAC and conference runner-up behind Tufts last season. The scoreline was even through the first and second quarters, which finished 4-4 and 6-6, respectively.

Hollen struggled early, with Middlebury winning the first seven face-offs. Defense faced a lot of pressure to get turnovers to give Tufts offensive possession. But the Jumbo defense performed well and Tufts got the first goal in the competition when sophomore attackman Ben Connelly found the far right corner of the net.

The Panthers answered twice with a fast-break goal off a face-off possession and then a low and away goal. The Jumbos drew level at 2-2 via a goal, but it was short-lived, as the Panthers made it 4-2 off scores on back-to-back possessions.

“[I] can't say enough positive things about the face-off unit (including the wings) that [fights] to get our offense the ball and, in turn, protect our defense,” Mattson told the Daily in an email. “If they statistically had a tough game against Middlebury, I didn't notice, as all I remember was those guys getting their knuckles dirty in the snow and ice, picking up ground balls and fighting to get our team possession.”

When senior defenseman Tyler Carbone was called for slashing, the Jumbos were dealt their first man-down situation in the game. Against the odds, however, senior co-captain Tyler Olney forced a turnover in the defense, took the ball the entire length of the field and found junior midfielder Holden Rosen Grupp, who was completely unmarked next to the goal. Finally, senior midfielder Lucas Johnson fired a bounce shot past the keeper to level the score before the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was slow for both teams in terms of scoring, and the play was wrought with turnover after turnover. Both Middlebury goals scored in the half were on fast breaks, and it was a full seven minutes before either team found the net. Murphy grabbed a goal off a behind-the-back feed from Connelly, and Lucas Johnson scored another bounce shot for the other, but Middlebury leveled to make it 6-6 into the half.

“We play in a way that is advantageous to having a transition game. We like to push transition a lot,” Richman said. “We have a lot of good playmakers that are able to make plays when we aren’t necessarily in a set offense. [Friday] benefitted us because we played a lot that way, so we were able to push and take advantage of that.”

The Jumbos finally saw progress in the third quarter, with tough battles fought on both ends of the field. Junior goalkeeper Robert Trieber chased two balls off the back line to repossess the ball for the Jumbos at key moments in the game. On the attacking end, Mattson went to town on the Middlebury defense, scoring three identical goals in a row, favoring a low release rising shot that fooled the goalkeeper every time. Five other Jumbos scored in the quarter – Richman, Connelly, Murphy, Mathers and Cordrey -- to generate a 14-9 advantage.

“We would prefer to attack when it’s unsettled, and we like chaos out there,” D’Annolfo said. “So any time that that happens it’s to our advantage.”

The Panthers had four goals in the final quarter, but two more scores from Mattson maintained the Jumbo lead as the hosts held on for the 16-13 win. 

Last Wednesday's competition against the Keene State Owls had a big turnout thanks to mild temperatures and a sunny day, and the Jumbos gave their fans a show, scoring 24 goals to the Owls’ 16. Keene State opened the scoring, largely thanks to unmarked players playing low in the attack. However, senior attackman Austin Carbone answered with back-to-back goals, one assisted by his twin brother Tyler, to erase the deficit.

“Personally, I see it more as a hard-fought first quarter than a letdown from any phase of our game,” Mattson said. “Keene is a tough opponent who we respect a lot. They came out swinging and we had to swing back. We like our chances when we continue to apply pressure on the opposing team, which I think we continued to do in the second quarter.”

Early in the second quarter, the Owls extended their lead to three goals, scoring seven times to the Jumbos’ four, but the Jumbos went 7-1 in the final nine minutes of the half to take the lead. Mattson scored three, Connelly and junior attackman Andrew Seiter both took advantage of man-ups, and Cordrey and Lucas Johnson both found the net to grow the lead to 11-8 at halftime. Meanwhile in the defensive end, sophomore goalkeeper Ben Shmerler made seven key saves that kept the Jumbos competitive.

The third quarter was slow for both teams, with two goals apiece, but the fourth quarter made up for it with Tufts outscoring Keene 11-6. Ten different Jumbos scored, with Cordrey the only repeat scorer in the quarter. Olney and junior attackman Nico Pollack both netted the first goals of their seasons, while Katz, Hollen, Murphy and Richman rounded out the scoring for the game.

Statistically, the Jumbos dominated all three games, taking more shots, winning more ground balls and completing more clears than their opponents in all three match-ups. Now, every single Jumbo on the roster has seen playing time, and D'Annolfo hopes the trend will continue as the season goes on.

Tufts faces Colby (1-2 overall, 1-1 NESCAC) in Maine on Saturday. With no weekday games this week, the Jumbos are enjoying a nice break after an uncommonly busy stretch of four games in eight days to start the season.