Teams: Men's Lacrosse: Schedule & Results

SECOND-HALF SURGE LIFTS JUMBOS TO 11-9 WIN AT AMHERST

COLLEGE MEN'S LACROSSE FINAL SCORE
Tufts 11    Amherst 9

At Amherst, MA
Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Game Box Score

AMHERST -- The Tufts University men's lacrosse team scored five unanswered goals over the span of the third period and the first ten minutes of the fourth period to help give them a critical 11-9 win over Amherst College in a NESCAC game on Tuesday afternoon. The Jumbos, ranked ninth in the nation, 11-2 overall and 7-1 in NESCAC, can clinch the conference regular-season title with a win at home against Middlebury on Saturday.

The five-goal run in the second half pushed the Jumbos from trailing 7-5 at the half, to leading 10-7 with just six minutes showing in regulation. Junior Alex Burnes (Dartmouth, MA) scored twice during the run, while junior Michael Ludwig (Delray Beach, FL) and senior tri-captain Mark Warner (Wading River, NJ) both had a goal and an assist.

In the first quarter, Amherst strung together two long scoring possessions in the first seven minutes to take a 2-0 lead. First-year Rob Denious (Bloomfield Hills, MI) scored the game�s opener at the 10:35 mark, before junior T.J. Jackson (Worcester, PA) scored the first of his two goals to extend the lead. Tufts responded just 58 seconds later with an unassisted goal from Joe Cavallo (Deer Park, NY), only to have Jackson put in his second goal of the game less than half a minute later. The Jumbos scored three times in the last six minutes, two off Warner assists, and a high-scoring first frame finished in a 4-4 tie.

Tufts took a 5-4 lead on a goal by senior Chris Connelly (Westport, CT), but Amherst regrouped and scored a trio of unanswered goals to head into halftime up 7-5. Amherst junior Will Ferrer (Greenwich, CT) scored two straight goals, just 40 seconds apart, to finish the half.

Ludwig started the five-goal surge at 9:55 of the third quarter. With Tufts eventually in the lead 10-7, Amherst senior tri-captain Derek Cherney (Chappaqua, NY) would assist on one goal, and then score one of his own to spark a short comeback with only minutes remaining, but it was too little too late. Warner scored an insurance goal with 11 seconds left in the game to push the lead back to two goals.

Tufts will host Middlebury on Saturday at 1:00. A win will give them a bye for the first-round of the NESCAC Tournament and the right to host the semi-finals and championship on May 5-6. Amherst returns to the field of play on Saturday afternoon at Colby College for a 1 p.m. game. The Lord Jeffs have clinched a spot in the NESCAC Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday, with an opponent to be determined.

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