The 18th-ranked men’s lacrosse team traveled into Medford, Mass. this past Saturday for a game at eighth-ranked Tufts, one of the strongest NESCAC teams in the conference. Both teams were 9-2 on the season going into the game. Behind a strong offensive outing, including two seven-point performers, the Jumbos snapped the Jeffs’ three-game win streak.

Tufts came out hot and dominated the first period of play, scoring six straight goals to open the game. Seniors Aaron Mathias and Devin Acton were able to get on the board for the Jeffs to end the drought, and Tufts rallied for two more scores before the first period ended.

Down 8-2, the Jeffs held their own for the second quarter. Brothers Patrick ’14 and Quinn Moroney ’16 were responsible for the three Amherst goals of the period, including a Moroney-Moroney goal that made their parents quite proud. Tufts matched Amherst with three goals on the period and racked up six penalties in the second alone.

The third period was equally tight, but the Jumbos again edged Amherst on the scoreboard. Mathias added two more goals, and first-year Matt Killian scored two of his own. However, the Jumbos extended their lead to 17-9 with six more goals going into the final period.

Using home field to their advantage, Tufts put on another overpowering showing to closeout the game. Dylan Park ’16, Blake Moore ’17 and Mathias added to the Jeff scoring, but Tufts, aided by a number of Jeff penalties, put in eight more goals in the period to conclude their scoring for the match. Tufts’ 25 goals were the highest they’ve recorded in a conference game and the third highest total in program history.

The Jumbos were firing on all cylinders and racked up 67 shots compared to the Jeffs’ 41 for the game. Tufts took advantage of their man-up moments, going 6-11 on the day, and also won 75% of face-offs. Amherst’s feistiness did show, as they grabbed five more groundballs than the Jumbos and forced seven more turnovers. Four Jeff goalies saw time between the pipes.

“We had a bad day against Tufts. Give them credit ­— they play at a relentless pace — which we now realize we must play at to truly be recognized as ‘elite’. It will be a great learning experience moving forward for us if we allow that message to seep into our core,” head coach Jon Thompson said.

On Tuesday, Amherst edged 13th-ranked Springfield 13-12. Park, P. Moroney, Mathias and Acton each scored two goals apiece, while Kane Haffey ’16 notched three to add to his season total of 28 goals, and Q. Moroney added six assists.

The Jeffs have a huge rivalry game this Friday at 6 p.m. against Williams College on the new Pratt Field.

“It should be an awesome venue with food trucks, live music, etc. etc. Going to be a great week here for the Jeffs,” Thompson remarked.