MEDFORD, Mass. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team opened the 2024 season at No. 3 Tufts University on Saturday afternoon, falling by a 19-9 final in a NESCAC clash at Bello Field.

Max Ettinghausen and Jack Regnery scored five goals apiece to lead the Jumbos, who finished as national runner-up a season ago. Tufts held a 58-46 edge in total shots and won 24 of 32 face-offs on the day.

Aidan McAvoy (Charlotte, N.C.) paced the Camels with two goals and two assists for a four-point afternoon. Bobby Chang (South Salem, N.Y.) also notched a pair of goals while JJ Ford (Clinton, Conn.) and Lorenzo Vogliano (New York, N.Y.) each added a goal and an assist. Goalie Will Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) made 17 saves against 36 shots on goal.

After Tufts opened the scoring just over four minutes into the contest, Conn netted the equalizer three minutes later to make it a 1-1 game. Rice made a save on the defensive end and began the clear, and Chang ended up with the ball in his stick for his first tally of the year.

The rest of the quarter belonged to the Jumbos, who went on to score four goals in the final 6:13 of the period. Tufts carried the momentum through the second quarter, outscoring the Camels 7-1 en route to a 12-2 lead at halftime.

Chang added his second goal early in the second half, and Patrick Atkins (Topsfield, Mass.) tacked on a score by the end of the third. Tufts countered with four goals in the period to extend the lead to 16-4 heading into the final stanza.

The Camels outscored Tufts 5-3 over the final 15 minutes, getting scores from Ford and Vogliano to jump-start the offense. Liam Horkan (Malden, Mass.), McAvoy and Isaiah Kozub (Wilbraham, Mass.) also found the back of the cage in the period, giving Conn a total of seven goal scorers on the day.

Ryan Frank (Silver Spring, Md.) scooped up a team-high six ground balls for the Camels, while Declan Kuhn (Fairfield, Conn.) and Henry Cabot (Ipswich, Mass.) each caused a pair of turnovers. Jason Fastiggi (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) secured five of the team's eight face-off wins.

Conn (0-1 overall, 0-1 NESCAC) will next host Colby College on Saturday, March 9 at noon.