Courtesy of Tufts University
MEDFORD, MA - The Amherst College men's lacrosse team lost for the seventh time in the last nine games to fall to 7-7 overall and 2-6 in conference play, as the Lord Jeffs suffered a 10-8 defeat at Tufts. An Amherst win over Colby this weekend coupled with losses by Williams and Bates will give the Jeffs the seventh and final seed in the conference championship.
Fourteen different players scored the 18 goals in the game, which also included an astronomical 19 penalties. Junior Clem McNally (Far Hills, NJ) and sophomore Jamie Atkins (Concord, MA) led the winners with two goals apiece. Sophomore Tom McDonnell (Manhasset, NY) scored three times for Amherst (7-7, 2-6), while junior Brett Miller (Wantagh, NY) finished with five assists.
Tufts scored the game's first two goals, Amherst tied the score at 2-2, and then Jumbo freshman D.J. Hessler (Monkton, MD) scored with 46 seconds remaining in the first period to give Tufts a 3-2 advantage. The hosts then out-scored the Lord Jeffs 4-1 in the second period to lead 7-3 at intermission. McNally scored two of the Jumbo goals.
With three of the first four goals in the third period, Tufts had a 10-4 lead on the first career goal by sophomore defender Evan Crosby (Yarmouthport, MA) at 9:11 of the third. Amherst would finish the third quarter with two goals, including the lone goal of the contest by leading scorer T.J. Jackson (Haverford, PA). The Jeffs then get two from McDonnell in the fourth period to pull within 10-8 at 4:09, but they were unable to get any closer.
Neither team was able to take much advantage of the many man-up situations. Tufts finished 1 for 7 and Amherst was 1 for 8. Tufts sophomore Mike Droesch (Setauket, NY) won 12 out of 19 draws. He led the Jumbos with eight ground balls, while seven Lord Jeffs had three apiece. Amherst had a 48-40 edge in shots, but the Jumbos were 33-28 leaders in ground balls.
Junior Matt Harrigan (Darnestown, MD) earned the win with 13 saves in the Tufts net. Amherst junior Matt Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NH) was equally sharp on the night with 16 stops.
BOX SCORE
