MIDDLEBURY PULLS AWAY FROM TUFTS FOR 17-6 WIN

COLLEGE MEN'S LACROSSE FINAL SCORE
Middlebury 17    Tufts 6

At Middlebury, VT
April 9, 2002

Goals: Jon Zissi 3, Bryan Griffin , Drew Innis, Jim Mandler; M, David Seeley 4, Mike Saracini 3, Matt Dunn 3, Mike Frissora 2, Zach Herbert, Charley Howe, Bob Wannop, Greg Carroll, Andrew Helming.

Assists: T, Palmer 2, Griffin, Alex Kerwin; M, Herbert 2, Seeley, Howe, Wannop, Brian McGregor.

Saves: T, Kirk Lutwyler 12, Brian Atherton 4; M, Eric Krieger 9, Ned Courtemanche 1.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Host Middlebury held Tufts without an even strength goal for a 43:15 span on its way to a 17-6 win over the Jumbos in NESCAC men's lacrosse action on Wednesday afternoon.

The Panthers, ranked #1 in the nation, remained undefeated at 8-0 overall and 4-0 in NESCAC. They are tied atop the conference standings with Colby. Tufts lost its second straight (5-3, 2-2) and stand tied for fourth in the league with Williams. The top four earn home-field berths into the seven-team NESCAC tournament.

The game was tight early on with Tufts holding a 2-1 lead after the first quarter behind nine solid saves from goalkeeper Kirk Lutwyler (Ridgewood, NJ). The Jumbos' second goal of the game with 44 seconds left in the first quarter would be their final even strength goal until the 1:27 mark of the fourth quarter. A pair of Middlebury goals in the second period gave them a 3-2 lead before Jon Zissi (Winchester, MA) tied the game with a man-up goal at the 9:36 mark. Zach Herbert hit Mike Saraceni for a pair of nice passes late in the quarter, while David Seeley added another to give the Panthers a 6-3 lead at the break.

The second half was all Middlebury as the Panthers tallied 11 goals on their way to the win. Tufts scored the game's final two goals in the last 1:27 of the contest. Seeley led Middlebury with four goals, while Saraceni and Matt Dunn
added three goals apiece. Zissi paced the Jumbos with three tallies.

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