MEDFORD, MA (April 30, 2025) -- After last weekend's New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Williams College, the top-seeded and No. 1 Tufts University men's lacrosse team will play host ot the NESCAC Semifinals and Finals this weekend on Bello Field. The Jumbos will take on No. 5 seed Middlebury College at noon Saturday, May 3 in the first semifinal while No. 2 seed Bowdoin College and No. 3 seed Wesleyan University will tussle at 3 p.m. in the second semifinal. Tufts is in search of its conference-leading 13th NESCAC title this weekend, following last weekend's 20-11 win over the Ephs.
Game Details
Championship Website
vs. No. 5 seed Middlebury College (9-7, 6-4 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Medford, Massachusetts - Bello Field
Live Coverage:
Live Stats -
Live Video
Tufts vs. Middlebury All-Time
The two squads with a combined 19 NESCAC titles will battle once again in the conference playoffs, meeting for the 11th time in the NESCAC Tournament. The Jumbos have won the last seven meetings in the conference tourney, while Middlebury won the first three match-ups in the postseason. The Jumbos have won 21 of the last 22 match-ups including a 14-game win streak in Medford dating back to 2007. The Panthers hold a slight 27-26 edge in the all-time series over Tufts, as Middlebury won every game from 1969 until 2006. The last meeting was just three weeks ago, as Tufts defeated Middlebury in Medford 16-11 on April 12.
The Book On The No. 1 Jumbos (16-0, 10-0 NESCAC)
The Jumbos have the longest win streak in all of NCAA lacrosse coming into the weekend, having won 21 straight games dating back to last season's NCAA Tournament run. Tufts remains one of just two teams that are undefeated in Division III, as Salisbury University is also unblemished at 17-0 on the year.
Tufts ranks at the or near the top of just about every statistical category in the NESCAC this season, as Tufts is first in the conference in scoring offensive output with 17.25 goals per game. That is ninth-best in the country, while the Jumbos' scoring margin of 8.00 is 13th nationally and first in the conference. Tufts also is atop of the ground balls category in the NESCAC with over 44 grounders per game, which is sixth-most in the league.
The Jumbos also lead the NESCAC in caused turnovers per game with 10.44 a tilt, while also ranking second in face-off winning percentage (.630), clearing percentage (.899) and assists per game (8.81). Tufts is ranked ninth in the conference in turnovers per game, but most of that is the speed that it plays with, as the increase in total possessions well above the normal amount in a game increases those numbers. The Jumbos are third in scoring defense this season with just 9.25 goals allowed a game.
Junior
Jack Regnery leads the conference in points per game with 5.54, which is 13th in the NCAA this year, while also ranking sixth nationally with 4.08 goals per game. Senior
Max Ettinghausen is also fourth in the NESCAC with 2.69 goals per game, as he has scored in every game Tufts has played over the last two seasons. Ettinghausen and
Brooks Hauser each have 55 points for the Jumbos, while senior
Charlie Tagliaferri has a team-best 21 assists on the year. Junior middie
Garrett Kelly has scored 30 goals, and
Will Emsing has contributed 35 points as well.
Conner Garzone has 641 career saves for the Jumbos, which ranks sixth all-time at Tufts, while his goals against average of 8.97 this year is second in the league and 34th nationally. Garzone is 34th in the country in save percentage at 57.3 percent, also second in the conference.
Parker Merril and
Victor Salcedo make for a formidable duo at the "X", as Merril tops the NESCAC face-off percentage chart as he's won 65.8 percent of his draws this season. Salcedo is right behind him with a 62.0 win clip on face-offs. Both rank in the top four in the NESCAC in ground balls.
Tufts has seven players with 10 or more caused turnovers this year, led by sophomore
Logan Lee and his 18. The LSMs for the Jumbos have been dynamic, as Lee and
Ben Frisoli have had big seasons with Frisoli posting 14 points on nine goals and five assists, adding 15 caused turnovers and 28 grounders.
Cam Delcristo has been a mainstay at short-stick defensive midfielder, helping lead a unit with 10 caused turnovers and 21 ground balls. Seniors
Michael Ayers and
Joey Waldbaum also have a combined 30 caused turnovers and 106 ground balls as well.
The Jumbos will be looking for their 13th NESCAC title, sixth in the last seven years and 13th in the last 15 seasons. The Jumbos are hosting the semifinals and finals for the 10th time.
Rest of the Field
No. 2 Bowdoin College (13-2, 8-2 NESCAC)
The Polar Bears eked out a win last weekend over No. 7 seed Hamilton College 13-12 in overtime in Brunswick, Maine, as Sam Raye-Steiner scored the overtime game-winner for Bowdoin.
Bowdoin has a potent offensive attack, coming into the weekend third in goals per game this season with 15.20, while Patrick Fitzgerald leads the conference in total goals with 62 this season. Attack partner Casey Ryan has added 22 goals while dishing out 49 helpers for 71 points, which ranks fourth in the NESCAC this season. Jason Lach had also tallied 34 goals while Chris Berry has tallied 26 times. Robert Hobbs is third in goals against average in the NESCAC, while ranking sixth in save percentage at .533. Jed Hoggard leads the defensive unit with 28 caused turnovers, adding 63 ground balls. Bowdoin has allowed a league-low 133 goals on the season.
Cam Wietfeldt and Beau Burns share the face-off duties, as both are above 55 percent for the year. Bowdoin is in search of its first NESCAC title.
No. 3 Wesleyan University (11-4, 7-3 NESCAC)
Wesleyan comes to town after knocking off No. 6 seed Bates College 15-6 in Middletown, CT as CK Giancola scored five goals to pace the Cardinals. Wesleyan features the NESCAC's second-leading offensive unit, coming into the game on Saturday scoring 15.27 goals per game, while its 10.27 assists per game leads the conference. The Cardinals have been deadly shooting the ball this year, as their 34.3 percent shot percentage tops the conference.
Giancola ranks third in the NESCAC in goals per game this season with 3.36, while Ben Burns has netted 2.60 goals per game to rank sixth in the NESCAC. Jack Raba leads the conference in assists this season with 56, as the Cardinals rank 13th in the nation in helpers per game. Conor Selfridge is seventh in the NESCAC in goals against average in the NESCAC with a 10.18 clip, while ranking third in save percentage with a .568 percentage.
Reef Kabalin has a team-high 21 caused turnovers for the Cardinals, while Tyler Campbell has won 54.3 percent of face-offs while winning 145 draws on the year. Wesleyan is looking for its fourth NESCAC title after winning its third last season. The Cardinals also won the 2018 NCAA title.
No. 5 Middlebury College (9-7, 6-4 NESCAC)
The Panthers upset host Amherst College last weekend to move into the NESCAC semifinals, as Middlebury edge Amherst 10-8 thanks to outscoring the Mammoths 3-1 in the final period. A 6-2 stretch through the third and fourth quarter was the difference in the game. Middlebury has been solid at home this year at 6-1, but has only tallied a 3-5 record on the road this season.
Billy Curtis has tallied a team-high 31 goals to go with 29 assists this year for the Panthers, and Patrick Jamin and Cooper DeMaillie each have scored 22 times this year. Logan White also has 21 goals and 14 assists on the season. William Munroe is third in the NESCAC in total face-offs won this season with 185, posting a 53.9 win rate, while ranking second in the NESCAC with 98 ground balls. Drew Drummer has a team-high 19 caused turnovers as well, and Hayden Kern has stopped 176 shots in cage for the Panthers, fourth-most in the NESCAC in 2025.
Middlebury has won seven previous NESCAC titles, and won three-straight national titles from 2000-2002.
Weekend's Games
Saturday, May 3
12 PM - Tufts vs. Middlebury
3 PM - Bowdoin vs. Wesleyan
Sunday, May 4
12 PM - NESCAC Championship Game
--JUMBOS--
