SCHENECTADY, NY (May 12, 2024) -- The No. 6 Tufts University men's lacrosse team outscored Stevenson University 17-2 in the second half, opening up a 10-5 halftime game to roll to a 27-7 win in the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament Third Round in action from Frank Bailey Field on the campus of Union College.
The Jumbos (15-3) were able to wear down the Mustangs, who were coming off a one-goal, emotional win over host Union College on Saturday afternoon. 14 different players scored for the Jumbos on Sunday, who will now move into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the sixth straight season.
The contest was tied midway through the first quarter 3-3, but sophomore
Jack Regnery scored his first of six goals at 4:35 to put the Jumbos ahead 4-3 while starting a 6-0 run. The spurt would end at the 5:45 mark of the second quarter, as
Charlie Tagliaferri finished a pass from
Max Ettinghausen to make it 8-3.
Stevenson (14-7) crept back into the game as a Graeme McCrory score just before the halftime break made it 10-5 after 30 minutes of play. The third quarter though would be all Tufts, as the Jumbos scored 11 unanswered in the frame while outshooting the Mustangs 20-6 in the frame.
The Jumbos were able to quickly pull away thanks to a dominating face-off performance and strong defending, forcing 28 turnovers on the game as they rolled to the win.
Regnery tallied nine points on six goals and three assists, taking a team-high 16 shots, while Ettinghausen tallied three goals and two assists in addition to six ground balls. Tagliaferri handed out three helpers to go with his three grounders and single score, and
Beau Keough recorded two goals and two assists as well.
Sophomore
Brooks Hauser had three points and three loose balls, while junior
Cam Delcristo posted a career-high three goals from his short-stick defense spot.
Callum Wood had two scores and one helper, and first-year
Logan Lee had six ground balls, a caused turnover and two scores.
At the "X" junior
Parker Merril was nearly perfect as he went 12-for-13 with 11 grounders, and partner
Victor Salcedo was 11-for-14 with seven loose balls, a goal and an assist. Erik Helgenson was also 5-for-10, adding two loose balls.
Defensively,
George Panagopoulos corralled six grounders and forced one turnover, and Greg Walls and
Michael Ayers each had three ground balls and a caused turnover. Senior
Conner Garzone allowed five goals while stopping six shots in 45 minutes of action.
In all, Tufts dominated the ground ball total 70-31 while also posting a 29-9 edge on face-offs. Additionally, the Jumbos posted a 78-25 edge in shot attempts, while recording a nearly perfect 23-of-24 on clear attempts.
Jack Scaliti led the way for Stevenson with four points on two goals and two assists, and Andrew Searing also tallied two goals in the loss.
Tufts will now take on St. John Fisher University (14-7) next weekend, after the Cardinals knocked off St. Lawrence University Sunday 11-10 for a spot in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Time and location of that game will be announced late Sunday evening.
--JUMBOS--
