MEDFORD, Mass. – Top-seeded Tufts University eliminated eighth-seeded Connecticut College by a 20-6 final on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Championship at Bello Field. 

The top-ranked Jumbos built a big lead in the opening quarter, netting eight unanswered goals to start the contest. Tufts improved to 16-0 overall—the lone unbeaten in Division III—and will host the remainder of the conference tournament, which wraps up May 6-7.  

Tommy Swank netted a career-high seven goals while Kurt Bruun added four goals and three assists to lead the Tufts attack. Jack Boyden, the nation's leading scorer, had a relatively quiet game with a goal and an assist.

Jared Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) and JJ Ford (Clinton, Conn.) finished with two goals apiece to pace the Camels. Will Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) recorded 19 saves on a busy day in goal and supplied several spectacular stops.

The nation's top-scoring offense was firing on all cylinders early. Mason Kohn scored off the opening face-off, putting the Jumbos on top just 14 seconds into the contest. Swank added another goal just over two minutes later, and Tufts was off and running.

The Jumbos quickly doubled the lead in a 26-second span, as Bruun scored with a flag down on the field. On the ensuing extra-man opportunity, Swank tacked on another score off a no-look feed from Max Ettinghausen.

Swank completed his hat trick less than six minutes into the game. The Jumbos went on to add three more tallies to extend their lead to 8-0 with 4:26 left in the first. 

The Camels got on the scoreboard in the final minute of the period after killing off a penalty. Rice started the clear with a long pass up the field, which was collected by Rainville before going out of bounds over the end line. He then directed a pass to the front of the crease for Ford, who scored while being checked by a defender. 

In the second quarter, Tufts extended its margin to double digits before Conn added its second goal. The Camels capitalized on a two-man advantage, as Aidan McAvoy (Charlotte, N.C.) threaded a pass through the defensive zone that was finished by Ford.

The Jumbos led 11-2 at the break after outshooting the Camels 26-18 in the half. Conn put 11 shots on goal but had nine turned away by goalie Conner Garzone.

The Camels added four goals in the second half but couldn't put a dent in the deficit. Rainville netted a pair of man-up goals in the third quarter, and Patrick Atkins (Topsfield, Mass.) and Lorenzo Vogliano (New York, N.Y.) tacked on scores in the fourth.  

Conn College, which made its 15th NESCAC Championship appearance, finished the season with an overall record of 6-8.