MEDFORD, MA (April 27, 2024) -- Hamilton College's Jesse Delinsky netted his fourth goal of the game 2:53 into overtime to lift the No. 8 seed Continentals a 14-13 upset victory over the top-seeded Tufts University men's lacrosse team in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) quarterfinals on Bello Field Saturday.
Hamilton advances to the NESCAC semifinals at Wesleyan University next Saturday, May 4, while Bowdoin College and Middlebury College will play in the other NESCAC semifinal. Tufts (13-3) will now wait for a Pool C selection into the NCAA Tournament, which will be announced next Sunday, May 5 at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Things started out well for the Jumbos, as
Brooks Hauser finished a rebound off a
Jack Regnery goal 92 seconds into the game to make it 1-0. That's where things would turn in favor of the Continentals (9-6), as Hamilton scored the game's next seven goals to make it 7-1 at the 14:40 mark of the second quarter. Regnery stopped the scoring drought for the Jumbos at 14:04 of the second half, but Hamilton scored three of the next four goals to make it 10-3 with seven minutes left in the opening half.
Tufts started to mount a comeback late in the first half as
Charlie Tagliaferri made a great play on the ride, picking up the loose ball and finishing unassisted to make it 10-4. First-year
Chase Beyer scored with 45 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the Tufts' deficit to five going into the locker room.
Out of the intermission, the two teams exchanged goals in the beginning of the third quarter before
Max Ettinghausen scored his 43rd goal of the season off of a Hauser feed to make it 11-7. Ettinghausen made an incredible play late in the third to force a turnover, being rewarded for his great play in transition with another goal to continue the Tufts' comeback. Hauser scored less than a minute later but Hamilton answered to make it 12-9 going to the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Regnery helped jump start a 3-0 run that finished at the 5:19 mark of the fourth quarter with a
Garrett Kelly goal to tie the game at 12. Justin Pearl answered right back to make it 13-12. Tufts would start to pelt Continental keeper Jack Fried with shots over the last five minutes, as the Jumbos took eight attempts on goal before Kelly snuck home his 31st goal of the year to tie the game with 36 seconds to go.
The Jumbos won the next face-off and had two more chances to win the game in regulation but both attempts were unsuccessful as the game went to overtime.
In the extra session, Hamilton took advantage of a failed clear as Christian Byrne scooped up a loose ball and fed Delinsky who scored all alone in front to give Hamilton its first NESCAC Tournament win in program history.
Ettinghausen and Regnery each had three goals and an assist, as the pair combined for seven ground balls as well. Hauser had two goals, four ground balls, two caused turnovers and an assist, while Kelly added two goals and an assist as well. Tagliaferri finished with a pair of goals, two grounders and two caused turnovers as well.
Victor Salcedo had a strong day on Saturday, picking up 11 ground balls as he went 16-for-23 at the "X," and
Ben Clarke had four ground balls and a caused turnover as well.
Joey Waldbaum also posted three caused turnovers and two loose balls, and
Logan Lee grabbed three ground balls and assisted on a goal as well. Senior
Conner Garzone made 12 saves on the day for the Jumbos.
Tufts outshot Hamilton 70-37 on the day, but turned the ball over 20 times including 12 times in the first half. Tufts also had a ton of bad luck on the day, hitting seven posts including a shot attempt that hit both posts and the cross bar from Regnery in the second quarter.
Hamilton got five goals from Pearl, and Delinsky tallied four times in the win. The Continentals got 18 saves from Fried, while he also picked up five ground balls.
--JUMBOS--
