May 8, 2007

BEVERLY, MA - Following arguably their most successful regular season to date, the Endicott College men's lacrosse team is flying high entering the 2007 NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Skeptics questioned how the `07 squad would come together after graduating the NCAA all-time assists leader in Kevin Lally (Derry, NH/Pinkerton Academy) and the nation's sixth-highest goal scorer, Burt Fahy (Needham, MA/Needham). Many of those questions were answered in the season opener as the Gulls defeated the Springfield College Pride, 10-6, for the first time in program history.

Head coach Sean Quirk, in his 10th season at the helm for the Blue and Green, pieced together one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country as Endicott played at Wesleyan (ranked 3rd in the nation), Bowdoin, Tufts (No. 6), and hosted Connecticut College along with Springfield. This schedule, in combination with the Gulls Commonwealth Coast Conference contests, has Endicott "battle tested" for their fourth-straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

Endicott enters Wednesday night's NCAA first round match-up against Tufts University having won 14 of their last 15 games. The Gulls received the automatic qualifier after winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship over Gordon College, 17-3 on Saturday (May 5th). The Blue and Green posted yet another undefeated regular season conference record as the Gulls have now won 40-straight Commonwealth Coast Conference games, a record that dates back five years. The Gulls fly into their May 9th match-up with an overall mark of 15-2.

Tufts University received their first-ever invite into the field of 20 after winning the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) regular season title. The Jumbos dropped an 8-7 decision to a late-surging Middlebury in the NESCAC playoffs. With a resume that included a 12-3 overall record (8-1 in the NESCAC) and key wins over Middlebury, Wesleyan, Endicott and Roanoke, the Jumbos received an at-large bid into the tournament.

These two teams are no strangers as the Gulls made the familiar trip to Medford, Massachusetts on April 11, 2007 to square-off with their non-conference foe. A 10-10 game late in the fourth quarter eventually turned into a 12-10 victory for the Jumbos, however the back-and-forth affair proved to be a benchmark for the Endicott season. Since that April 11th loss, the Gulls have rattled off seven-straight wins vowing they were a stronger team than they showed on that Wednesday evening.

Endicott will turn to senior attackman and Commonwealth Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year Josh Gilbert (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) to spark an Endicott offense that is averaging 14.8 goals per game (5th in the nation). Gilbert has tallied the nation's seventh most goals (52) and dished out 17 assists for a team-high 69 points. He will be complimented by CCC First Team selection Nick Cosco (Londonderry, NH/Londonderry) who has a well-rounded 36 goals and 24 assists, and reigning CCC Player of the Week Brandon Dube's (Danvers, MA/Danver) 39 goals and 29 helpers.

Through the midfield it all starts with face-off specialist John Ortolani (Billerica, MA/Billerica). The sophomore has dominated the X for the Gulls, winning 225-of-the-314 draws he has taken (71.6%). Sophomore midfielder and all-conference selection Eddie O'Reilly (Beverly, MA/Beverly) will look to add to his 30 goal and 21 assist season by using his speed and vision in the transition game.

All-league goaltender Sean Kearney (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) will anchor the nation's 10th best defense as the Gulls will look to apply constant pressure on the Jumbos attack. CCC Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Gaffney (Worcester, MA/St. John's) will most likely draw the assignment of shutting down the opposition's most skilled player. Second Team All-CCC defensemen Rick Hancock (Wading River, NY/Shorham-Wading River) and Adrien Peacock (Billerica, MA/Billerica) round out the Gulls defense.

Tufts University will use a combination of size and finesse on Wednesday as they will most likely look to 6'2" sophomore attackman Clem McNally (Farhills, NJ/St. Georges) for offensive success. McNally is a big frame that the Jumbos look to on the crease as the sophomore is a shoot-first, pass second type player with a team-high 36 goals and only four assists. From there the Jumbos offense is quite diverse with no other 20-plus goal scorers on the roster.

The showdown at the face-off X between Endicott's Ortolani and Tufts' Matt Lunato (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) should play a major factor in Wednesday's winner. Lunato is 122-of-251 on the season while Endicott's Ortolani won 16-of-25 in the previous meeting between the Jumbos and the Gulls.

The Tufts defense is fast and athletic and will look to force the rhythmic Gulls out of their ball-control offense. 6'2" senior defender Wiley Dornseif (Littleton, CO/Phillips Exeter) has been a vacuum cleaner for the Jumbos, sucking up a team-high 71 ground balls this spring. Tufts will send sophomore Matt Harrigan (Darnestown, MD/Landon) and his 61.6% save percentage between the pipes for the Jumbos.

Endicott and Tufts will face-off at 7:00 PM on Wednesday (May 9th) at Bello Field on the campus of Tufts University. Tickets will be available beginning at 5:30 PM on the night of the game. Ticket prices have been set; it will be \$3 for adults and students, and \$1 for children under 12. Infants two years of age and under will be free.

Endicott and Tufts are playing in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of Wednesday night's game will travel to Pennsylvania to play Centennial Conference champion and the nation's second-ranked team, Gettysburg College. That second round match-up will take place on Saturday (May 12).