Box Score
MEDFORD - Down two at the half, the Tufts men's lacrosse team found its game in the third quarter and went on to earn a 17-10 NESCAC victory over Middlebury at snow-ringed Bello Field Saturday afternoon.
Tufts was playing its season-opener and beginning its defense of their 2014 NCAA title. Junior John Uppgren led the way with four goals and two assists, while senior co-captain Cole Bailey had three goals and an assist.
Middlebury, who scored the game's first three goals, was led by five goals from junior Jon Broome. He scored two goals in the early going and three in the first half as the Panthers led 6-4 at intermission.
Junior Jake Gillespie scored twice for Tufts in the first half, including a strike with just two seconds left in the first quarter.
Tufts would out-score the Panthers 6-2 in the third quarter and 14-4 for the second half overall. A man-up goal, one of four by the Jumbos, was scored by junior Connor Bilby to cap a three-goal run and give Tufts their first lead at 7-6 with 12:52 left in the third quarter.
Broome scored back-to-back goals giving the visitors the lead back at 8-7, but the Jumbos finished the period with three in a row for a 10-8 margin heading into the fourth. Junior Ben Andreycak scored and assisted during the stretch.
Middlebury closed to within 10-9 when junior Tim Giarusso opened fourth-quarter scoring. However, Tufts put the game away with seven in a row. Bailey and Uppgren both scored twice and junior Kyle Howard-Johnson had a goal and an assist during this game-clinching run.
Junior Garrett Clarke added three goals to the Tufts attack. Junior Conor Helfrich won 20 of 30 face-offs in the game. Senior co-captain Cem Kalkavan caused two turnovers and grabbed three groundballs while junior Alex Salazar made eight saves in net.
Middlebury sophomore Will Ernst stopped 13 shots in goal. Senior co-captain Joel Blockowicz finished with a goal and two assists. Senior co-captain Cal Williams and sophomore Jack DeFrino both caused three turnovers while DeFrino won four groundballs and six face-offs.
Tufts finished with a wide 64-36 shots advantage, including 40-17 in the second half. They also won the groundball battle 37-22. In addition to the 27 goals, the game also included 17 penalties.
The Jumbos remain at home to host Keene State on Tuesday at 3:30 pm. Middlebury plays its home opener Tuesday against Plattsburgh State.
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