LEWISTON, Maine -- Like a heavyweight champion looking to avenge his first loss in the ring, two-time NCAA champion Tufts has the opportunity to get back at the Bates men's lacrosse team for interrupting its legacy of recent dominance one month ago, as the fifth-ranked Jumbos host the Bobcats in the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship's Round of 16 this Saturday.
Bates, meanwhile, can etch a giant-killer's reputation in stone by winning once again on Tufts' Bello Field. Despite the Bobcats' triumph a month ago, a second win in Medford would be considered another sizable upset, and twice as meaningful at that.
Whoever wins the game is guaranteed to face one more NESCAC rival in the national quarterfinals on Wednesday, in the victor between Amherst and Middlebury.
The Particulars
Who: Tufts University Jumbos (17-2) vs. Bates College Bobcats (11-5)
What: NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship, Second Round
When: Saturday, May 9, 2015; 1:00 p.m.
Where: Bello Field, Tufts University | Medford, Massachusetts
Tickets: $6 for adults, $4 for students and seniors. Tickets are expected to be available on site on game day at 11am.
Opponents' NCAA Tournament History: Tufts is 18-5 all-time in the NCAA tournament, spanning eight appearances, including each of the past seven years.
Bates is playing in the tournament for the first time, with a 1-0 record to date.
Opponents' Last Meeting: Sophomore Charlie Fay scored five goals and junior Jack Allard (Ridgewood, N.J.) added four as Bates upset then No. 1-ranked Tufts, 12-8, in NESCAC men's lacrosse action on the night of April 7 at Bello Field.
Bates was able to hold the high-powered Tufts attack to less than 10 goals for the first time in 25 games. In the process, the Bobcats stopped a 24-game Jumbo winning streak overall and a 28-game home winning streak. The loss was the first for Tufts against a conference opponent in 15 games.
Senior Jack Strain (Montclair, N.J.) added two goals and one assist for Bates, which won its third in a row -- all against NESCAC opponents -- and fourth in its last five games. Junior Joe Faria (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) made 11 saves. Tufts, which dropped to 10-1 and 6-1 NESCAC, were led by two goals each from Peter Gill and Austin Carbone.
Bates started a six-goal run at 13:07 of the second quarter. The Bobcats blanked Tufts 3-0 in the second and then score the first three goals of the second half to lead 8-3 on Strain's strike with 6:56 on the third-quarter clock. Fay scored three times while Allard and sophomore Kyle Weber (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) both had a goal and an assist during Bates' six-goal span. The Bobcats held the Jumbos scoreless for a 28:06 stretch from late in the first until late in the third. However, Tufts came back to close the margin to 8-6 by the end of the third quarter as both Carbone and Connor Bilby scored and assisted goals.
After the teams traded goals, making it 9-7 Bates, the Bobcats got the next two by Allard and Strain to go up 11-7 with 8:29 remaining in the fourth.
Tufts' Last Game: Tufts scored nine second-quarter goals to pull away from Great Northeast Athletic Conference champion Emmanuel College in a 21-6 victory at a sun-drenched Bello Field Wednesday afternoon -- the second straight year the Jumbos defeated the Saints in the first round. John Uppgren led Tufts with six points overall (2g, 4a), reaching 60 goals and surpassing 100 points for the season. Zach Richman scored four times and Austin Carbone had three goals with two assists. Kyle Howard-Johnson totaled two goals with three assists as 13 Jumbos scored goals overall. The Jumbos finished with big advantages of 61-25 in shots and 47-14 in ground balls, and they won 25 of 30 faceoffs. Sophomore Jon Conley got his first career start in goal for Tufts and made nine saves. Senior Brian Droesch played the fourth quarter and made three saves.
Bates' Last Game: Bates overcame a four-goal deficit in the first quarter to defeat visiting Keene State College 16-11 in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament, Wednesday evening's atmosphere tided over into triumph and euphoria for Bates and its supporters. Fay scored four goals for the Bobcats, while Strain and Allard added three apiece. Bates rose to 11-5, tying the team record for victories in a season with the 1984, 1985 and 1986 teams. The Little East Conference champion Owls finished the year with a 12-5 record in their sixth NCAA tournament appearance, and their second in a row.
Tyler McKelvie scored a game-high five goals to go with one assist for KSC, and Hunter Arnold tallied four scores. Ryan Hart added a goal and two assists as well as five ground balls. Goalie Dylan Florian made 11 saves, as Bates outshot KSC by a 46-35 margin, including a 27-17 difference in shots on goal.
Senior Conor Henrie (Lexington, Mass.) contributed two goals and an assist for Bates. Sophomore Jake Walsh (Baltimore, Md.) dished out a game-high three assists and Melvin added a goal and two assists.
Rob Hart led the Owls with three goals and one assist. Hunter Arnold and Tyler McKelvie added two scores apiece, and Dylan Florian was credited with 18 saves in goal.
Tufts at a Glance: After its loss to Bates, Tufts went on to drop its next game by 12-6 score against Amherst. Since then, however, the Jumbos have returned to the winning ways they're accustomed to. Tufts routed both Middlebury and Amherst to claim its sixth consecutive conference championship last weekend and receive the automatic berth into NCAAs. In addition to its 16-4 win over Amherst in the title game on Sunday, Tufts had a 23-9 victory versus Middlebury in Saturday's semifinals.
At the start of the week, Tufts was winning 62.4 percent of its faceoffs, the 17th-highest ranking among 221 Division III teams. The Jumbos also ranked third in scoring average with 16.44 goals per game (trailing only RIT and Keene State).
Uppgren's 105 points (60 goals, 45 assists) lead Division III, while a whopping nine other players have scored 18 or more times this season: Peter Gill (32), Garrett Clarke (32), Zach Richman (28), Carbone (27), Howard-Johnson (27), Ben Andreycak (26), Jake Gillespie (19) and All-American attacker Cole Bailey (18), who has only played in Tufts' past 10 games. Conor Helfrich was named the top faceoff man in New England for the second year in a row this week by the NEILA, with 193 wins in 445 chances (.658).
Tufts is ranked No. 5 in this week's USILA national Division III poll, and No. 1 in this week's NEILA New England DIII poll.
Bates at a Glance: Bates earned an at-large berth in the 32-team field of the NCAA tournament with a 10-5 record, including a 6-1 mark since April 1. Signature victories this season include a 12-8 triumph over Tufts on April 7, a 14-9 victory over Middlebury on April 11, a 14-11 win at Wesleyan in the NESCAC Championship quarterfinals on April 25, and Wednesday's 16-11 triumph over Keene State at home in the NCAA First Round.
The Bobcats have proven to be a terrific all-around team, particularly in the second half of the season. Entering this week, Bates scored 12.13 goals per game, ranking 47th out of 221 Division III teams. The Bobcats were also 67th in faceoff winning percentage (.554) and 91st in goals allowed per game (9.13).
Bates is ranked No. 12 in this week's USILA national Division III poll, and No. 4 in this week's NEILA poll. The Bobcats had four team members named to the NEILA All-New England Division III team this week, with head coach Peter Lasagna winning Coach of the Year honors.
