Tufts and Salisbury have met three times in the final of the NCAA Division III tournament with the former winning in 2010 and 2014. The Jumbos are 3-1 in the title game and are seeking to join Hobart, Middlebury and Salisbury as the only programs to capture three straight NCAA championships. The Sea Gulls are 10-5 in the final and are aiming for their first national crown since 2012.
Tufts (20-2), the New England Small College Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion, is riding a 14-game winning streak in the NCAA tournament. The offense has scored 86 goals in the postseason thus far and is three goals shy of the tournament record set by last year's squad. As good as senior attackman John Uppgren is, junior midfielder Zach Richman leads the team with 19 goals in the tourney, and junior attackman Austin Carbone has scored 17 times.
Salisbury (22-1), the Capital Athletic Conference regular-season titlist, has outscored its opponents, 60-27, in the postseason. The offense boasts four starters with at least 79 points, and the leader of the pack is Nathan Blondino with 97 points. The junior attackman is three points shy of becoming the 11th player in program history to reach the 100-point mark.
Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
1) Tufts offense vs. Salisbury defense. As mentioned above, the Jumbos have torched opposing nets in the NCAA tournament. In addition to his 17 goals, Carbone has added seven assists, and Uppgren, the nation's leader in assists (57) and points (126) has posted 15 goals and nine assists in the postseason. But the Sea Gulls rank seventh in the country in defense after surrendering just 6.5 goals per game, and coach Jim Berkman said the unit won't back down from the challenge.
"We're very confident in our defensive personnel, and we've been able to hold almost every team under their average for the year," he said. "So hopefully, we'll be able to hold them a little bit lower than what they've been scoring against most of their opponents."
2) Tufts defense vs. Salisbury offense. While the Jumbos lead Division III in scoring at 17.7 goals per game, the Sea Gulls aren't exactly wallflowers, ranking fifth in the nation with a 16.4 average. Opponents have scored 11.2 goals per game against Tufts, but the defense has given up an average of 7.5 goals in the tournament. Goalkeeper Alex Salazer has recorded a .700 save percentage and allowed 21 goals in three postseason contests, and Jumbos coach Mike Daly is hoping the senior can continue that trend against Salisbury.
"If Alex continues the run that he's been on and our faceoff unit continues the run that they've been on, those are probably the two best erasers, so to speak, in the game," Daly said. "… Our defense is playing their best lacrosse at the most important time of the year. Our defense is clearly our toughest unit in our program, and they're very prideful. It's been fun to watch them stand up to the challenge and continue to get better during some rocky parts of the season."
3) Tufts faceoffs vs. Salisbury faceoffs. The Jumbos' prolific offense has been aided by Conor Helfrich. The senior has won 63.1 percent of his draws (367-of-582) and collected an average of 9.7 ground balls. In the postseason, Helfrich has claimed 73.9 percent (68-of-92) and picked up 45 loose balls. The Jumbos will counter with freshman T.J. Logue, who has gone 59.4 percent (98-of-165) including 74.3 percent (52-of-70) in the NCAA tournament. But Berkman said Logue will be helped by junior long-stick midfielder Andrew Ternahan (101 ground balls) and senior short-stick defensive midfielder Davis Anderson (63 GB).
"Their kid is very good, he's one of the best," Berkman said of Helfrich. "But as I've said throughout the year, our faceoff play has been pretty good, and it's a three-headed monster. It's not just the faceoff guy. We have two outstanding wing players in Andrew Ternahan, who I think is on the best poles in the country, and Davis Anderson. Andrew has over 100 ground balls, and Davis is pretty close to him. So hopefully, that three-headed monster can negate any extreme advantage that may exist there."