AMHERST, MA. – Though Alex Giacobbe scored two goals and Mitch Likins made 22 saves, the No. 9 Amherst College men's lacrosse team suffered defeat in their game against undefeated No. 1 Tufts University on Saturday, April 19. Despite the Mammoths' strong offensive performance in the first quarter, Tufts went on two separate 5-0 runs spanning multiple quarters that led to the Mammoths' defeat. 
 
Before the game against the Jumbos, Amherst held a ceremony to honor their eleven seniors: Giacobbe, Likins, Dylan Hsu, Mason Chandler, Nicholas Kopp, Lawson Laverty, Steve Crawford II, Rob Williamson, Owen Gaydos, Jordan Gangaram and Ben Bruno.
 
With this loss, Amherst now falls to 10-4 on the season, while Tufts remains without a loss this season, at 14-0. The Mammoths will return to action on Wednesday, April 23 when they will close the regular season against Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., at 7 p.m. 
 
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* Amherst put the first goals of the game on the board, going up 3-0 early in the contest. Sophomore Brendan Reilly capitalized on a successful clear attempt, rushing to goal score his fourteenth goal of the season unassisted. Then, with 8:39 left on the clock, Giacobbe netted his twenty-fifth goal of the season to give the Mammoths a 2-0 advantage. They built that momentum two minutes remaining, when Andrew Hahm picked up a ground ball and made a swift pass to Reilly. Reilly then passed to Alex Vlacich, who finished his opportunity to make it 3-0.
 
* Tufts put two goals on the board in the final two minutes of the quarter to shrink the Amherst lead to 3-2 heading into the second frame. However, the Jumbos managed to put three goals on the board by the five-minute mark, to take their first lead of the game. Though Bob Gross broke up the Jumbos' scoring run, netting off an assist from Ben Bruno, by the conclusion of the quarter, Tufts still held a 7-4 advantage. 
 
* Tufts put the game to bed in the third, tallying three goals, but the Mammoths continued to battle despite the growing deficit. Giacobbe scored his second goal with one minute and 18 seconds remaining on the clock, cashing in on an Amherst rush following a successful clear attempt. Amherst found themselves in an 11-5 hole heading into the fourth.
 
* Despite the Mammoths' efforts in the fourth, they would not convert again, and three more goals from tufts saw Amherst fall 14-5 to the Jumbos when the final horn sounded.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Likins came to play despite the lopsided result, making a career high 22 saves in the loss. This is the second highest single-game mark in the NESCAC this season.
 
* Possession was key in this game, and the Jumbos' dominance in those stats are indicative of the result: Tufts won 13 faceoffs to the Mammoths' nine and committed only 13 turnovers compared to 28 by Amherst.
 
* Amherst fired 41 shots, though only 18 of them were on goal (44%) while Tufts fired 36 shots on goal alone, part of their 57 total.