Recently, Tufts attackman John Uppgren joined Salisbury's Jason Coffman, Kean/Montclair State's Will Van Dorn and Castleton's Zach Davidson as players who have accumulated 400 points in their careers.
With 413 points, Uppgren ranks behind Coffman (451) and Van Dorn (450). The senior can further burnish that number when the Jumbos (20-2) tangle and the Sea Gulls (22-1) clash in Sunday's NCAA Division III tournament final at 1 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. But coach Mike Daly said the degree of difficulty with which Uppgren has had to navigate this season has been stunning.
"What John has had to deal with is truly remarkable," Daly said Tuesday. "I don't think any of us would be able to [envision] at this point what he has seen this year in terms of physicality, in terms of junk defense, in terms of zone defenses, and he's just taken everything that everyone in this country has thrown at him and he just keeps showing up. He's by far the most competitive player I've ever been around. He just keeps showing up. He's a Clydesdale workhorse. Just keeps going. I think that's just more revealing of his toughness than anything that's clicked or changed in his game."
Uppgren, who leads the nation in points with 126 and ranks third in assists with 57, has at least one point in every game this season – although that includes a one-goal, zero-assist outing in the team's 14-13 thriller at Stevens in the season opener on March 5. Trying to limit him will be the task of a Salisbury defense that ranks seventh in the country allowing just 6.5 goals per game.
"I don't know if we've played a guy quite like him," Sea Gulls coach Jim Berkman said. "He's a very unique guy in that he's pretty fast, and he's also pretty strong. I don't think we've played a lefty either that is that domineering. We've played a couple righties that were really good, but I don't think at this point, we've played a lefty that is that dynamic."
No matter what unfolds Sunday, Uppgren will graduate Tufts as the program's all-time leader in scoring. But Daly said he could not compare Uppgren with others who have gone through the school.
"They're all your children, and they're all different, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses," Daly said. "So it's hard to compare them. They're all a little bit different in style and different in stature and qualities, but John [is] a tough guy and competitor."