Men's Lacrosse Prepares For National Championship Game Sunday In Philadelphia

MEDFORD, MA (May 24, 2024) -- For the second consecutive season and the seventh time in program history, the Tufts University men's lacrosse team will play for a national title on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Philadelphia, PA. The Jumbos will take on No. 2 Rochester Institute of Technology inside Lincoln Financial Field in the 2024 NCAA Division III Division III National Championship game, as the Jumbos look for their fourth national title and first since 2015. 

Game Details
NCAA Tournament Bracket - NCAA Game Page - Game Notes (PDF)
Opponent: vs. No. 2 RIT (21-2, 6-1 Liberty League)
Date: Sunday, May 26, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy, High 80s, Chance of Rain: 20%, Wind: NW 5-10 MPH
Live Coverage: LIVE STATS – LIVE VIDEO

Tufts vs. RIT All-Time
The Jumbos and Tigers are very familiar with each other, having played each other nine times since 2011 while eight of their 10 all-time meetings have come in the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this season, RIT knocked off Tufts 16-11 at the 2024 Mustang Classic at Stevenson University. Last year, Tufts defeated RIT 15-11 at home to advance to the NCAA Championships. This will be the first meeting between the two schools for a national title. 

Tufts holds a 6-4 all-time edge in the previous 10 games, with the first meeting coming back on March 1, 1975, an 11-0 win for the Jumbos. 

A Look At The Jumbos (17-3)
Tufts comes into today's game after four victories in the NCAA Tournament to get to this point, knocking off Illinois Wesleyan University and Stevenson University in the first two rounds at Union College. Last weekend, Tufts defeated St. John Fisher in the NCAA Quarterfinals, before besting Washington & Lee University in the semifinals 19-13 to get into the final Sunday. 

Tufts comes into the weekend as the country's second-best scoring offense with 18.75 goals per game this year, behind only Salisbury and its 19.09 goals per game. Tufts also ranks third in the country in ground balls per game with 45.70, while its 59.0 percent face-off win percentage is first in the NESCAC. The Jumbos also did a strong job in clearing all year, leading the conference with a 90 percent success rate. 

The Jumbos were recently honored with eight United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-Americans, led by first-team honoree Jack Regnery. The standout sophomore has been electric all season, posting team-highs of 74 goals, 35 assists and 241 shots. He has added 45 ground balls, three game-winners and seven man-up goals. 

Junior Max Ettinghausen also has potted 55 goals on the year and has tallied a multi-goal game in each of the last 10 games for the Jumbos including five against Babson on April 16. Sophomore Brooks Hauser has exploded this year after scoring just two goals last season as a first year, tallying 49 times while assisting on 27 goals as well. 

Junior Charlie Tagliaferri has played in all 20 games for Tufts, scoring 37 goals, while sophomore middie partner Garrett Kelly netted 36 goals throughout the season. First-year Will Emsing has come on of late, scoring six goals in the NCAA Tournament including a career-high three against Washington & Lee in the national semifinals. 

The defensive unit has been stellar during the NCAA Tournament, has All-Americans Joey Waldbaum and Michael Ayers have been lynch pins defensively. Waldbaum leads the team this season with 30 caused turnovers. Sophomore Ben Frisoli and junior Cam Delcristo have been great on the wing and in transition, while close defender George Panagopoulos has posted 16 caused turnovers on the year. 

The face-off group of Parker Merril and Victor Salcedo have been a dynamic 1-2 tandem, as Merril was named as an Honorable Mention All-American on Thursday after winning 62.8 percent of his draws while adding 130 grounders. Salcedo has a 58.7 win rate at the "X" this year, adding 110 ground balls. 

In cage, Conner Garzone has started all 20 games and has started the last 64 games for the Jumbos in net. He has posted 693 saves in his career, which is sixth-most ever at Tufts.

RIT Rundown (21-2)
The Tigers come to Philadelphia looking for their third all-time national title, after earning the championship in 2021 and 2022. The Tigers defeated Bowdoin, 19-11, in last Sunday's NCAA Semifinal to punch their ticket to the National Championship game for the fifth time in program history and third time in four years. RIT has lost twice this season, both one-goal defeats to RPI. 

RIT is currently ranked first nationally in man-up offense converting 64.5% of its chances, first in assists (277), first in shooting percentage (37.1%) and third in scoring offense with 18.39 goals per game. The Tigers are fifth in clearing percentage (89.7%) and second in ground balls (920).

The Tigers were ranked second in the final USILA Division III Coaches Poll and third in the Inside Lacrosse Division III Poll. With its win last Sunday, RIT now has 21 wins. It is the eighth time the Tigers have won 20+ games since 2010 and third straight season.

RIT is 19-1 when leading after the first half and 2-0 when trailing after the opening 30 minutes. The Tigers are 13-1 when scoring the first goal this season, and 7-1 when their opponents strike first.

RIT has scored 20+ goals nine times, tying the program record with 30 goals against Vassar (March 30). The Tigers have averaged 21.0 goals per game during this year' NCAA Tournament, outscoring their opponents 84-51.

RIT features three players with 90 or more points, four players with 50 or more points, six with 40 or more and eight with 30 or more points. Twenty Tigers have tallied 10 or more goals, including five players with 20 or more goals.

The Tigers have the top man-up offense in Division III, converting 49-of-76 of its chances (64.5%). They are first in assists (279), assists per game (12.13), points (702) and points per game (30.52), and are third in scoring averaging 18.39 goals per game.

Clifford Gaston leads RIT with a career-high 109 points on 73 goals and 36 assists, each career-bests. He is tied for second in Division III with a team-high 14 man-up tallies, tied for sixth in points and ninth in goals. Jake Erickson has 103 points on 48 goals and 55 assists, while Luke Pilcher has netted 63 goals to go with 30 assists. 

Michael Grace was named as the William C. Stiles Memorial Outstanding Defenseman Award winner for national defender of the year, as he has 21 caused turnovers on the season and corralled 88 ground balls. In net, Alex Zborowski has started 22 games on the year, stopping 57 percent of shots on net while going 19-2. 

Allyn French has won 56.5 percent of his face-offs this season, while Nick Farrell also has posted wins in 58.7 percent of his draws on the year. 

Head Coaches
The Jumbos are led by eighth-year head coach Casey D'Annolfo, who has brought his team to the national title game for the second straight season. D'Annolfo is 121-18 all-time as the head coach of the Jumbos, posting an 87.1 percent win rate at Tufts. Excluding CoVID-19 years, Tufts has won 17 or more games in each of the last five seasons. 

RIT head boss Jake Coon has posted a 270-28 record over the 15 seasons at the helm of the Tigers, posting a 90.6 percent winning percentage.