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MUSTANGS FALL TO NATIONALLY RANKED TUFTS 26-3
The Mount Ida College men's lacrosse team traveled to non-conference USILA nationally ranked Tufts University this past Saturday dropping a 26-3 loss on a cold and windy afternoon. The Mustangs fall to 2-4 overall, 1-0 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play while the Jumbos continue their streak to 6-0 on the year and 3-0 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
The Jumbos led 19-0 before the Mustangs got on the scoreboard with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter. Senior tri-captain Clem McNally (Far Hills, NJ) had five goals and an assist overall, sophomore D.J. Hessler (Monkton, MD) scored two goals with five assists and freshman Sean Kirwan (Booton Township, NJ) added four goals and an assist. Seventeen players overall scored points for Tufts (6-0), and all three goalies saw action. The previous mark for most goals in a game was 23 by the 1999 Tufts team against College of Wooster.
The hosts were up 16-0 at halftime and over the first 30 minutes, they had a 33-6 advantage in shots and 34-8 in ground balls. Jumbo face-off men won 14 of 18 first-half draws and Tufts pressured Mount Ida into 14 failed clears during 21 attempts in the first two quarters. McNally scored all five of his goals in the first half, including the first three of the game in the opening 5:05 of play.
In the second half, as the Jumbos substituted, senior Brian Rassel (Birmingham, MI) scored the first goal of his career at 13:24 of the third quarter. The Mustangs scored back-to-back goals late in the third, with Prophete netting his fifth of the season at 3:26 and senior Brett Conley (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Warde), netting his 14th goal of the year at 2:07. Sophomore Paul Battipaglia (Clinton, CT/Morgan) scored the third Mustang goal at 10:42 of the fourth.
Mount Ida (2-4) was led by a goal and an assist from senior Christopher Prophete (Waltham, MA/Waltham). Junior Matt Vernik (Bethany, CT/Amity Regional) started in goal and made 12 saves in the first half.
Sophomore Frank Rozio (Clinton, CT/Morgan) won three draws and had two ground balls for the visitors. Freshman James McAllister (Smithfield, RI/LaSalle Academy) played the second half in goal and stopped six shots.
In the final stats, Tufts was up 58-20 in shots, 60-16 in ground balls and won 25 of 32 face-offs. They scored on three of seven extra-man opportunities, while holding Mount Ida scoreless in five man-up attempts.
The Mustangs will host Green Mountain College this coming Wednesday afternoon starting at 3:00 p.m.
