MEDFORD, MA (March 14, 2023) -- In a wet, snowy and cold afternoon from Bello Field, the No. 2 Jumbos of Tufts University were able to handle the hard-blowing precipitation better while pulling away from No. 7 University of Lynchburg 19-4 for a big non-conference victory.
The Hornets (4-2) had traveled up to Massachusetts earlier in the week, and coupled with the hard work of the Tufts grounds crew and staff, allowed for the contest to still be played during a full-on Nor'Easter event that saw 20 MPH sustained winds and blowing snow during the entire game. The game took a little bit to get going offensively, as Tufts (4-0) opened the scoring three minutes in on a
Kurt Bruun goal from
Jack Boyden.
Lynchburg would deadlock the game at one a few minutes later, as Riley Mitchell scored unassisted on a drive from the right wing. The game stayed tied at one until 2:20 left in the first quarter, as
Charlie Tagliaferri came on to the field in transition and wiggled free to score to make the game 2-1. Tufts would add two more goals by
Tommy Swank and Bruun just before the end of the first quarter to take a three-goal edge into the second quarter.
The Jumbos turned up the intensity defensively as the game went on, causing 20 turnovers in the first half, pouring in five more goals unanswered including two more by Bruun to make it 9-1. The Hornets notched a man-up goal just before halftime by Charlie Evans to make it 9-2 at the break. The halftime was 25 minutes Tuesday due to the re-warming period mandated by the NCAA due to the wind chill temperatures, which also allowed for crews to clear the field of snow.
Tufts would regain its momentum early in the second half, as
Joey Waldbaum scored a beautiful transition goal with help from his long pole pal
Michael Ayers to take a 10-2 lead. Bruun netted his fifth and final goal of the contest with 11:17 to go in the third on a nice feed from Murtha, and following a Lynchburg score,
Cam Delcristo netted his second of the game to make it 12-3.
Jack Regnery made the Jumbos' lead double digits with 4:24 left in the third, and
Kevin Christmas bulldozed his way to a goal with under 10 seconds left in the third to up the Jumbo advantage to 14-3.
Christmas tallied once again to start the fourth quarter for Tufts, as the Jumbos pulled away for the emphatic win. The host Jumbos outshot Lynchburg 62-21 for the contest, while posting a 57-25 edge in ground balls. The Jumbos also won 18-of-25 face-offs on the game, and were successful on 22-of-25 clears.
In addition to Bruun's goal total, the senior added four ground balls and team-high 11 shots including seven shots on goal. Boyden went goalless Tuesday, but dished out a team-high four helpers, and Tagliaferri netted three goals on six shots total.
Sam Frisoli finished with a goal and two assists Tuesday afternoon, while Delcristo,
Jack Regnery and Christmas all finished with a pair of tallies.
Murtha registered two points on a goal and assist, picking up four ground balls while causing a turnover. Waldbaum finished with two caused turnovers and seven ground balls, while
Kyle Adelmann also caused three mistakes in addition to his seven ground balls.
In the face-off category,
Mason Kohn was stellar as he was 9-of-13 with nine ground balls, and teammate
Victor Salcedo won nine of his 12 draws to finish with six ground balls.
George Panagopoulos contributed with three ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Connor Garzone got the win with four saves and three ground balls.
Lynchburg's Tyler Hadley made 17 saves for the contest, playing 51:17 before handing goaltending duties over to Patrick Moore who stopped four shots. Mitchell led the Hornets with three points on a goal and two assists, and Riley Hastings, Spencer Vandenberg and Evans all scored in defeat.
The Jumbos will head out on the road for a pair of contests over the next week, heading to Hoboken, NJ to battle Stevens Institute of Technology March 19 at 1 p.m. in non-conference play. Tufts will then head down to the Philly area to take on Cabrini University Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in non-conference action.
--JUMBOS--
