Going up against the 2012 NESCAC champion Tufts Jumbos, the men’s lacrosse team knew it was going to have to flex some extra muscle to contend on Saturday, April 20. Coupled with this, a victory for the Cardinals meant locking up home-field advantage in the first round of the conference tournament. Heading into the matchup, the Cards sported a spotless 7-0 record at Jackson field, meaning that ensuring home-field advantage in the first round of the NESCAC tournament could be a real force in the Redbirds’ postseason play.

With all this in mind, the Cardinals stepped onto the grass in front of 400 supporters, and after 60 minutes, they got their much-deserved reward. The storyline of the match was typical of the 2013 Cardinals, as they managed to come from behind to steal the lead from their opponents by a final score of 8-7.

The Jumbos came into the matchup ranked seventh in the nation and demonstrated their Division III pedigree by jumping to an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Hardly discouraged by this, the Cardinals owned the second quarter and went on a five-goal rampage that shifted momentum in favor of the Cards. Leading scorer Graham Macnab ’14 broke the seal on the Wes attack with his 20th goal of the season, and midfielder Mike Giambanco ’14 supplemented the effort with two of his own. Remy Lieberman ’14, who added his 20th goal later in a crucial moment in the matchup, added the fifth, final, emphatic goal for the Cards in the quarter, leaving the score 5-4 at the half.

Wesleyan’s defense kept pace with the offensive assault; the Jumbos never held the lead or even tied the Cardinals in the second half. This time around, the Cardinals had mounted their comeback early in the match and spent the rest of the contest avoiding any lapses in judgment. Mark Simmons ’14 was as steady as ever in net, notching nine saves and even energizing the offense with a beautiful outlet pass to long pole mid Brendan Hanley ’13, who trucked his way toward the goal and dumped off the final Cardinal score of the contest. The Cardinals had to remain alert, however, as a Jumbo fast-break with just 1:25 to play brought the Jumbos back within one. The remainder of the contest was a defensive lockdown for the Cards as they looked to avoid ending up on the wrong side of a come-from-behind victory. As the final whistle sounded off, the Cards maintained possession and, more importantly, victory—the first victory for Wes over Tufts since 2009.

With the win, the Cardinals sit just behind Middlebury and Conn College with a 6-3 conference record. The Cardinals close out the season on the road against the aforementioned Conn College Camels. A victory for the Cards this Wednesday, April 24 would mean a lock on the second seed in the conference. Either way, the Cardinals have loads of momentum going forward, and they have proven they can square up with any team in the ’CAC. The Cardinals won’t flinch in the face of nationally ranked squads and will work ceaselessly to prove they deserve their own national recognition.