No. 15 Stevens Bows Out of NCAA Tournament with 14-9 Loss to No. 6 Tufts
Justin Lutes
Bracket
MEDFORD, Mass. (May 11, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s lacrosse team led host Tufts University, 8-4, with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter of the NCAA Division III Second Round game, but were outscored 10-1 the rest of the way and lost 14-9 at Bello Field in Medford, Mass. on Saturday afternoon. Stevens finishes the 2013 season with a 13-5 record, while Tufts improves to 16-4 and will play RIT next Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
The Ducks fell behind, 2-0, in the first 2:37 of the game but answered back with back-to-back goals from senior
Harrison Dorne (Morristown, N.J.) to tie the contest with just over five minutes remaining in the first period. Dorne’s first goal came 55 seconds after the second Tufts tally off a pass from classmate
Rich Dupras (Hillsborough, N.J.). His second found the back of the net seven minutes later but Dorne was knocked out of the game due to an injury on the play.
Tufts regained the advantage at 3-2 just 32 seconds later and held onto that slim lead until Dupras netted his first of two goals with 28 seconds left in the quarter. Dupras’ first marker, assisted by freshman
Connor O’Shea (Ridgewood, N.J.), started a string of five consecutive goals for the Ducks that ran until there was 1:50 left in the second quarter.
As the second period got underway with a 3-3 tie, senior
Nicolas Philippi (Mullica Hill, N.J.) staked the Ducks to their first lead of the ballgame just 42 seconds into the frame. Freshman
Griffin Rock (Bay Shore, N.Y.) put Stevens ahead by two goals, 5-3, at the 9:48 mark of the stanza before junior
Charlie Cronin (Northampton, Mass.) increased on the lead 32 seconds later off O’Shea’s second assist. Rock capped off the run to put the Ducks ahead, 7-3, with 1:50 left before intermission. The Jumbos managed to snap the string of Stevens goals with just 22 ticks left on the clock and go into halftime with a 7-4 score.
The Ducks won the opening faceoff in the third quarter and controlled possession for over five minutes before Dupras scored unassisted at the 9:45 mark of the frame. With Stevens now leading, 8-4, Tufts seized all momentum in the showdown and ran off seven straight goals to turn a four-goal deficit into a three-goal advantage. The Jumbos seven-goal run lasted over 15 minutes (8:43 in the third to 8:38 in the fourth quarter) of game time before Stevens could crack the scoreboard again.
O’Shea received a pass from Dupras on the doorstep of the cage to give the Ducks a chance to fight back down just two goals at 11-9 with 7:37 left in the contest. Tufts, however, would register the final three goals in the contest to wrap up the 14-9 victory.
Tufts’ Cole Bailey led all players with seven points on four goals and three assists, while Beau Wood recorded a hat trick. Similar to the last times these teams met, goalkeeper Patton Watkins made 16 saves in the win, including seven in the first quarter. Watkins stopped 19 shots in the March 20 showdown.
Sophomore
Matthew Deiner (Millstone Twp., N.J.) turned away 12 shots in the loss between the pipes for Stevens with seven in the second quarter, but was unable to make any saves in the fourth quarter.
Freshmen faceoff specialists
Brett Incollingo (Yardley, Pa.) and
Jeff Wyckoff (Summit, N.J.) combined to win 17 faceoffs in 27 tries at the “X” and scooped up 12 groundballs. Incollingo went 8-for-14 with five groundballs, while Wyckoff picked up seven groundballs and won nine faceoffs in 14 attempts.
The Ducks outshot Tufts, 55-45, but could only show for two goals in the second half. Tufts went 22-for-26 in clears and were perfect in that category over the final three periods of play after going 4-for-8 in the first quarter.
Tufts and RIT square off in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 15 in Rochester, N.Y. after the Tigers took down Cabrini College today, 22-13.
Second Round Games – May 11
Western New England def. Nazareth, 15-12
Tufts def. Stevens, 14-9
RIT def. Cabrini, 22,13
Dickinson def. Adrian, 20-7
Salisbury def. Washington & Lee, 7-4
SUNY Cortland vs. Aurora, 6 p.m.
Stevenson vs. Washington College, 7 p.m.
Roanoke vs. Lynchburg, 7 p.m.