MEDFORD, MA (May 10, 2025) -- The top-ranked Tufts University men's lacrosse team didn't play its best game Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Second Round tilt against visiting Rhodes College, but the Jumbos were strong enough to capture a 15-7 win over the Lynx in play from Bello Field.
The Jumbos (19-0) extended their NCAA leading win streak to 24 with the win, but it wasn't easy as visiting Rhodes came in ready to play against the top-ranked team in the nation. Tufts scored the first four goals of the game, taking a 4-0 lead through the first seven minutes thanks to goals from
Max Ettinghausen,
Jack Regnery,
Jackson Redd and
Logan Lee. The Lynx (14-5) responded with three of the next four scores including a man-up goal from Gavin Nagle to make it 5-3.
Tufts finished the first half on a 5-0 run capped by tallies from
Brooks Hauser to take a 10-3 edge into intermission. Tufts was leading the Lynx in shots 35-22 through the first 30 minutes, but was a little off hitting the net.
Senior
Callum Wood finished the six-goal run for the Jumbos just 42 seconds into the second half with his sixth of the year to make it 11-4. Rhodes and Tufts would exchange goals over the remainder of third quarter, as John Mori's goal with 1:55 to play in the third made it 13-6 for Tufts going to the fourth quarter.
The Lynx got as close as six with 10:50 to go in regulation on Drew Downes third goal of the game, but tallies from
Peter Kraemer and
Max Melton were enough to put the game away.
Tufts finished with a 62-44 edge in shots, while also going a perfect 26-for-26 on clear attempts.
Senior
Charlie Tagliaferri led the Jumbos with two goals and two assists, scoring on his only two shot attempts, while Hauser played sparingly but still managed to score twice to go with an assist and two ground balls. Wood had a team-high three goals in the win, while Regnery had two goals as well. Senior
Louis Timmins had two assists, and Kraemer and Lee each had two points on a goal and an assist.
Parker Merril was 8-for-10 on face-offs on Saturday, picking up a team-high six ground balls, while defender
Brooks Byrnes had a stellar game with a career-high five ground balls to go with two caused turnovers. Erik Helgesen was 5-for-11 on draws with three ground balls, and sophomore
Lucas De la Paz won all four of his face-offs to pick up three loose balls.
Senior
Michael Ayers had two caused turnovers and two ground balls as well in the win. Graduate student goalkeeper made seven stops while allowing just three stops in 25 minutes of action, while senior
Ben Friedman stopped eight shots in just under 35 minutes of play in cage.
Downes led the Lynx with three goals and an assist, while Nagle and Mori each scored twice. Jason Rubenstein made 18 saves between the pipes for Rhodes.
Tufts will take on St. Lawrence University in the NCAA Third Round Sunday at 3 p.m. on Bello Field, after the Saints defeated Middlebury 10-9 Saturday afternoon in the second of two second-round outings at Tufts.
--JUMBOS--
