HADLEY, Mass. - Top-seeded Tufts University will look to earn its first NESCAC Men's Lacrosse crown this weekend when the Jumbos host the final rounds of the 2007 NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Championship at Bello Field in Medford, Mass. The semifinals get underway on Saturday with Tufts taking on sixth-seeded Middlebury at 12:00 p.m., and will be followed shortly afterwards by second-seed Wesleyan clashing with fifth-seed and NESCAC rival Williams at 3:00 p.m. The 2007 NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Championship concludes on Sunday with the final at 12:00 p.m.

It was a thrilling finish to the regular season for top-seeded Tufts (12-2, 8-1 NESCAC). The Jumbos needed a win over Middlebury last Saturday, something they had not accomplished in 40 years, in order to claim the number-one seed and a first round bye in this year's championship. The Jumbos fought tooth-and-nail with the Panthers for control of Saturday's contest, holding a slim lead heading into the final minutes of the game before Middlebury tied the contest at six-all in the waning seconds of regulation. Overtime proved to be short-lived though, as Tufts sophomore Chase Bibby's second tally of the game 1:45 into overtime gave the Jumbos a 7-6 victory and the top seed for the first time in tournament history. Tufts enters Saturday's semifinal showdown having won six of its last seven games, the lone loss a conference setback at Williams on April 16, 11-5. Leading the way for the Jumbos this season is senior attacker Mark Warner (Wading River, N.Y.), as the tri-captain has collected 19 goals and 25 assists for a team-leading 44 points, third overall among NESCAC players. Along with Warner on the attack for Tufts is sophomore Clem McNally (Farhills, N.J.). After a breakout rookie season that saw McNally tally a team-best 21 goals, McNally has paced the Jumbo offense once again this year with a league-leading 34 goals though 14 games, collecting 38 points to rank behind Warner on the Tufts score sheet.

If Saturday's semifinal, a rematch from last year, is anything like the last two meetings between the Jumbos and the Panthers, then fans will be in for a treat. Sixth-seeded Middlebury (8-6, 4-5 NESCAC), the six-time defending NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Champions, has gone to overtime with Tufts in each of the previous two meetings, falling to the Jumbos 7-6 last weekend after edging them in last year's semifinals 12-11. 2007 has not been a typical season for the Panthers, as they are on the road in the semifinals for the first time in the history of the tournament. Part of Middlebury's frustration this season has come in overtime, losing four of five conference games in the extra session. The Panthers finished the regular season on a three-game losing streak, falling to the three other teams in this year's semifinal field during that span. Middlebury, however, bounced back on Sunday in the first round at Trinity with a 16-4 win, the greatest margin of victory for the Panthers this season and their first road victory this year. Middlebury features the league's best offense, averaging 10.71 goals per game, while the defense has allowed on average 6.95 goals, third in the NESCAC. Leading a balanced attack this year for the Panthers is junior Jim Cabrera (Old Greenwich, Conn.), a 2006 NESCAC All-Conference First Team selection, with a team-leading 25 goals and nine assists for 34 points. Saturday's semifinal meeting will be the third all-time in the playoffs between Tufts and Middlebury, with the Panthers, who are 13-0 in the NESCAC tournament, winning both meetings.

Riding a 10-game winning streak, second-seeded Wesleyan (15-1, 8-1 NESCAC) enters the weekend as the hottest team in the NESCAC. The Cardinals only loss of the season came in league play to Tufts in the conference opener back on March 24, 9-6. Wesleyan advanced to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year with a 7-3 win over Bowdoin on Sunday afternoon in the first round. Defense has once again been the key for the Cardinals this season, allowing a league-low 5.48 goals against as senior goalkeeper Charlie Congleton (Groton, Mass.), an All-NESCAC First Team member a year ago, leads the NESCAC for the second season in a row with a 5.56 goals against average and a .660 save percentage. As impressive as those numbers are, the offense has also played well for Wesleyan, averaging 10.19 goals per game to rank second in the conference. Through 14 games this spring, sophomore attacker Jason Ben-Eliyahu (East Setauket, N.Y.) has tallied a team-best 32 goals and 48 points to place second among all conference players. Following Ben-Eliyahu on the stat sheet is classmate Russ Follansbee (Deerfield, Mass.) with 22 goals, six serving as game-winners for the Cardinals, and a team-leading 19 assists for 41 points.

Standing in the way of Wesleyan's bid for a fourth-straight appearance in Sunday's championship game is fifth-seed Williams (8-5, 5-4 NESCAC). The Ephs dropped a 6-5 decision at Bowdoin on the final day of the regular season, then traveled to NESCAC rival Amherst on Sunday and picked up a 9-5 win in the first round. The victory extracted a bit of revenge for the Ephs after a 10-9 overtime loss to the Lord Jeffs on April 14, along with putting Williams in the semifinals for the first time ever. Williams lost the lone meeting of the regular season with Wesleyan 11-7 on April 7 in Middletown, however the Ephs have already earned victories over Middlebury (10-6) and Tufts (11-5) in 2007. While the Ephs' offense ranks seventh in the NESCAC this season, scoring an average 8.62 goals per game, the defense is second only to the Cardinals in the conference, allowing 6.90 goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Gerbush (Glen Head, N.Y.) is second in the NESCAC in goals against average with a 6.86 mark. Up front, junior attacker Michael Vrla (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) is having a career year for Williams, scoring a team-leading 31 goals through 13 games this season, good enough for fourth in goals in the league. Teammate Dixon Hargrove (Wallingford, Pa.) has been the setup man for the Ephs, as the junior attacker leads the conference in assists with 29. Saturday's semifinal showdown will be the second meeting between these two teams in playoff history, as Wesleyan moved past Williams in the first round of last year's tournament by a 12-5 score.

2007 NESCAC MEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Sunday, April 29 at Higher Seeds
at No. 2 Wesleyan 7, No. 7 Bowdoin 3
No. 6 Middlebury 16, at No. 3 Trinity 4
No. 5 Williams 9, at No. 4 Amherst 5

Semifinals - Saturday, May 5 at Tufts
No. 6 Middlebury at No. 1 Tufts - 12:00 p.m.
No. 5 Williams vs. No. 2 Wesleyan - 3:00 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, May 6 at Tufts
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.