Jumbo Effort: Tufts Rallies Past Middlebury
from press release
MEDFORD, Mass. - The Tufts University Jumbos started
the fourth quarter by scoring four unanswered goals to overtake the
Middlebury College Panthers for an 11-9 victory in the quarterfinal
round of the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship on
Wednesday afternoon at Bello Field. Tufts (18-1) advances to the
NCAA semi-finals, where they will play at Cortland State on
Sunday.
Tufts outscored Middlebury 7-2 overall during the final 34:16 of
play. During that stretch, NESCAC and New England Player of the
Year D.J. Hessler (Monkton, MD) scored two goals with an assist,
while junior Ryan Molloy (Setauket, NY) added a goal and two
assists. That helped the Jumbos overcome a 7-4 advantage that the
Panthers held with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter.
Middlebury (13-6) scored the game's first goal by Andrew Conner
(Alexandria, VA), but a goal and an assist from Hessler led a
three-goal spurt by Tufts that put the hosts up 3-1 at 4:51 of the
first quarter. Middlebury scored twice before the period ended,
including a tally by Erich Pfeffer (Glastonbury, CT) that tied the
score at 3-3 with 2:36 remaining.
The Panthers maintained the momentum into the second quarter,
netting four of the first five goals. Senior co-captain Pete Smith
(Wilton, CT) assisted two of the scores, including one by Chris
Teves (Wellesley, MA) that gave Middlebury its 7-4 lead. The Jumbos
managed to chop the margin to 7-6 heading into halftime, with Sean
Kirwan (Boonton Township, NJ) and Matt Witko (Chappaqua, NY)
scoring goals.
The teams traded goals in the third quarter, with Panther Tim
Cahill (Glastonbury, CT) scoring with just eight seconds remaining
in the period to give the visitors an 8-7 advantage heading into
the final quarter. However, Tufts scored the next four goals to
surge to an 11-8 lead with 6:05 left in regulation. Hessler had a
goal and an assist during the decisive run. Middlebury added
another goal by Pfeffer at 4:32, but that is as close as they would
get.
Hessler led Tufts with three goals and two assists, setting a new
school record for assists (48) in the process. Witko and Kirwan
both tallied twice for the Jumbos. Sophomore Nick Rhoads (McLean,
VA) was dominant in the face-off circle for Tufts, winning 18 of 24
attempts. Tufts did not fail on any of its 19 clear attempts and
was led defensively by four ground balls apiece from senior Darius
Bittle-Dockery (New Haven, CT) and junior Alec Bialosky (Moreland
Hills, OH). The Jumbos won the ground-ball battle overall
39-28.
Junior David Hild (West Hartford, CT) joined Cahill, Pfeffer, and
Conners with two goals each for Middlebury, while Smith finished
with three helpers. Junior Ryan Deane (Grosse Pointe, MI) was
excellent in goal with 15 saves, including nine in the second half.
Sophomore Matt Rayner (Andover, MA) also played well defensively
with six ground balls.
On Sunday, Tufts will face a Cortland squad that was a 15-7 winner
against RIT in other NCAA quarterfinal action on Wednesday.
Sunday's semi-final game time has not yet been announced. The
winner will move on to the NCAA Division III Championship Game in
Baltimore on May 30.
