Postscript from Tufts at Stevenson
Wednesday night’s showdown between No. 1 Tufts and No. 2 Stevenson is just one of many games those two programs will play this season, and perhaps that’s why both coaches declined to make too much of the 14-13 outcome in favor of the visiting Jumbos.
“I don’t think so,” Tufts coach Mike Daly said when asked if the win sent a statement to the rest of Division III. “I think these guys are still 18- to 22-year-olds, and shoot, we’re going to have our hands full with Williams College on Saturday. They’re an in-league opponent, and we’re onto the next challenge.”
Mustangs coach Paul Cantabene was even blunter, saying, “Nothing. It doesn’t mean anything. This is a regional game for us. We understand that. But at the same time, we understand that we’ve got to win our games and win our conference. I think we’re already in a great position for the NCAA tournament with three big wins over top-10 teams in the southern region. So I think we’re in a good position. We’ve just got to continue to get better. That was a great game, probably one of the best Division III games around, and we’re going to continue to get better. We’ll be back. Our guys are motivated. They understand what just happened, and we’ll be back.”
Barring a total collapse in the latter half of the season, both sides are virtually guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Still, if you’re a Jumbos fan, there’s a lot to be excited about. The offense tagged Stevenson with a season high in goals, and junior goalkeeper Steven Foglietta demonstrated that he may be one of the best at his position.
Tufts senior attackman D.J. Hessler said the victory should silence the critics questioning the team’s staying power after capturing the NCAA championship last May.
“We know we’re not a one-hit wonder,” he said. “If that’s what other people want to think, so be it. Maybe this game would send a statement, but it really comes down to May. Even if we had lost this game, it’s not the end of the season. We keep going at it. But it definitely says that we’re not some phony who won by chance or won by luck. Hopefully, that answers the call.”
Other notes:
*Both sides seemed to agree that in game that featured 27 goals, the star of the game may have been Foglietta, who entered the contests with an 8.40 goals-against average and a .562 save percentage. Foglietta made 24 saves against Stevenson, including 13 in the second half, and Daly was matter-of-fact about his goalie’s value. “Without Steven Foglietta, we don’t win that game,” Daly said. “I don’t know what it is about the bigger the game, but he just shows up and gets it done. We’re real lucky he’s on our side.” Added Cantabene: “We couldn’t get it by the goalie. He was the biggest difference. Twenty four saves, and a lot of them were with him standing on his head.”
*The Mustangs seemed to miss the presence of fifth-year senior attackman Richie Ford, who had ranked third on the team in goals (15) and points (22) prior to the contest. Cantabene said Ford left the game early in the second quarter after pulling a hamstring. “When you lose an attackman of that caliber – and he was making some plays, he was putting some heat on early on – losing him hurt,” Cantabene said. “We had to adjust a little bit. And that’s what happens when you’re nine games into the season. Guys start to get banged up. We’ll get him back in about a week.”
*The Jumbos (4-0) appeared to attack Stevenson’s interior defense, scoring at least half of their goals from in front of junior goalkeeper Ian Bolland (eight saves). Hessler said although the coaches and players decided to attack the front of the cage, he also said that the team’s transition game forces defenses to open up. “We love to push in transition, especially with our poles and D-middies, and they have to respect our guys if they’re going to the goal,” Hessler said. “We have some guys on the side who are pretty sneaky and able to get open. So that’s part of our game plan, and we know that if we catch them dodge-watching, we can get open looks in the middle.”
*Even with the loss, the Mustangs are 8-1 and very much in contention for repeating as Capital Athletic Conference tournament champions. Senior midfielder Neal Barthelme guaranteed that the team would rebound from this setback. “We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing,” he said. “Lacrosse is a game of bounces, and you’ve just got to work hard every day. Eventually, it adds up and you make that play, and it will be there next time. For now, we’ve just got to get better and work on things that didn’t work out well today.”
