Tufts and RIT Meet In NCAA "Final Four" Again on Sunday at Bello

MEDFORD, MA (May 20, 2023) - It's not every day you host a national semifinal on campus, but that's exactly what Tufts University will do on Sunday.

For the third time in school history, Tufts will be the site for NCAA Tournament "Final Four" action on Sunday when the undefeated men's lacrosse team (21-0) plays Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) at Bello Field.

The winner of Sunday's tilt between the #1 Jumbos and #3 Tigers (20-1) will go on to the NCAA Championship Game to be played May 28 at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.

This will be the second time Tufts has hosted a men's lacrosse NCAA Semifinal. Back in 2016 the Jumbos welcomed St. Lawrence University to Bello for a "Final Four" game and won 23-12.

Tufts' other NCAA Semifinal showcase was the Women's Soccer team hosting the "Final Four" at Kraft Field back in 2000. Head coach Martha Whiting's team defeated Wisconsin-Stevens Point 1-0 in overtime in the semifinals before losing dramatically in the final seconds of the national championship game to College of New Jersey 2-1 on Kraft. That Jumbo team is being inducted into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame on June 9.

Tufts and RIT have developed a serious NCAA Semifinal rivalry. They will play in the "Final Four" for the sixth time, but this is the first year that the Jumbos will host in the series. Tufts had the edge in the first three "Final Four" meetings 16-12 in 2011, 21-11 in 2014 and 19-12 in 2015. The 2014 and 2015 teams went on to win NCAA titles. However, RIT currently holds the advantage with victories in 2021 (18-16) and last spring (26-15). The Tigers advanced to win national championships in both of those seasons.

Tufts and RIT have two other NCAA meetings in the Quarterfinals. The Jumbos won in 2012 at Bello 15-13, but the Tigers earned revenge with a 14-5 victory in 2013. In seven NCAA meetings between the teams overall, Tufts has a 4-3 edge.

Now In the NCAA Semifinals for the ninth time, the Jumbos are 5-3 in the previous games. In addition to the RIT meetings, Tufts won 10-9 at Cortland in 2010 before winning the school's first-ever NCAA championship over Salisbury 9-6. The Jumbos also lost a semi at Cortland in 2012 by a 12-10 score, and have the St. Lawrence "Final Four" victory.

Today The Mike Daly Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse Casey D'Annolfo's Jumbos earned their spot in the semis with a 17-9 win over the University of Lynchburg. Tufts built a 7-1 lead after one quarter and led 17-6 before the Hornets scored the final three goals. Sixteen Jumbos scored points, including three goals by sophomore Charlie Tagliaferri. Sophomore Joey Waldbaum caused three turnovers and junior goalie Conner Garzone had nine saves.

In the other Quarterfinal game in Medford on Saturday, RIT bolted to a 10-3 halftime lead and finished with a 16-6 victory against Middlebury College. Senior Luke Pilcher scored five times for the Tigers and graduate goalie Will Sterrett saved 12 of the 18 shots he saw.

The winner of tomorrow's game will play either Salisbury University or Christopher Newport University in Philadelphia. The Sea Gulls (22-1) and the Captains (19-2) meet in the "Final Four" on the other side of the bracket in Salisbury, Maryland on Sunday.

Game time in Medford, Massachusetts tomorrow at Bello FIeld is 5:00 PM.