Former Walk-On Key to Tufts' Ascent to Crown
by Paul Ohanian | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: TUFTS 9, SALISBURY 6
* Tufts Claims New Turf with Division III Title
* Former Walk-On Keys Tufts' Ascent to Crown
* Jumbos Show They Can Work from Ahead
* NCAA Championships Blog
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Tufts midfielder Doug DiSesa gets a step on Salisbury's Sam Bradman, whom he outplayed on both ends of the field in the Jumbos' 9-6, NCAA championship game victory at M&T Bank Stadium. © Kevin P. Tucker |
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Doug DiSesa couldn’t have scripted a better ending to his Tufts career.
One week after graduating as an economics major, the former
walk-on concluded his lacrosse career by hoisting the NCAA Division
III championship trophy following the Jumbos’ 9-6 victory
Sunday over eight-time champion Salisbury.
Not only did the defensive midfielder help keep Salisbury’s
high-powered offense in check, he also contributed two early goals
that fueled Tufts’ 6-1 first quarter blitz.
It’s all pretty heady stuff for a former walk-on at a
program that had never appeared in the NCAA tournament prior to
2007.
“Our goals have always been the same since I arrived
here,” said DiSesa. “Win our first NESCAC championship
and win our school’s first national championship.”
DiSesa, who had tallied eight goals through the first 20 games
this season, opened the scoring for Tufts with an unassisted goal
just 90 seconds into the contest. He then added his second in the
midst of a six-goal run for the Jumbos that eventually saw the lead
grow to 7-1.
“Coach gives us the green light to go, especially in
transition,” DiSesa said. “That’s where we thrive
as d-middies. It’s that up-tempo pace that gives us
opportunities.”
As important as his offensive exploits were on Sunday,
DiSesa’s bigger contribution may still have been at the
defensive end. Matched at times against D-III Midfielder of the
Year Sam Bradman, he helped limit the sophomore scorer to just one
assist on the afternoon. Salisbury’s top midfield line of
Bradman, Mike Von Kamecke and Shawn Zordani finished with one
combined goal on 20 shots.
“We always pride our defense on hard work and playing as a
unit,” said DiSesa, one of the Jumbos' tri-captains.
“That was a huge part of what we did today. Everybody just
did their part and didn’t go outside their roles. The bigger
the game, the bigger emphasis we place on the
fundamentals.”
Salisbury had two scoreless droughts of over 20 minutes in
Sunday’s game, the team’s two longest scoring droughts
of the season.
Salisbury coach Jim Berkman was quick to give credit to Tufts'
defense following the game.
“A lot of the things that we didn’t do well today
weren’t a result of us not doing them, but because of their
efforts,” said Berkman. “We just didn’t make any
extra passes today and didn’t stay disciplined. We
couldn’t capitalize.”
Despite Tufts’ defensive tenacity, DiSesa said there
wasn’t a lot of game planning specifically for Salisbury.
“To be honest, we didn’t really focus too much on
Salisbury this week,” DiSesa said. “We focused on
ourselves and doing what we do.”
DiSesa, from Wynnewood, Pa., actually began his career as an
offensive midfielder when he first joined the program. But limited
opportunities to see the field while buried down the depth chart
during his first two seasons served as a catalyst to making a
change.
After spending more and more time playing on the scout defense,
Coach Mike Daly offered DiSesa an opportunity to move to
short-stick defensive midfield. DiSesa jumped at the chance.
“I said absolutely, especially in this offense,”
DiSesa said.
The Jumbos qualified for their first NCAA tournament during
DiSesa’s freshman campaign in 2007, then missed the
postseason in 2008. They returned to the NCAA field in 2009, but
lost to Western New England College in the second round.
According to DiSesa, that loss helped set the table for this
season.
“Last season was a huge building block,” he said.
“We lost a little focus in the NCAA tournament, so this year,
we really focused on mental toughness. That was something we lacked
in the past.”
With their renewed focus, the Jumbos won six one-goal games this
season while posting 19 victories in their first 20 games. Victory
number 20, in Sunday’s championship game, wasn’t that
close.
“It was the last piece we needed,” said the former
walk-on.
