Game Recap: Rhodes vs. No. 1 Tufts University
The Rhodes College men's lacrosse team saw its NCAA Tournament run come to an end on Saturday afternoon, falling to No. 1 Tufts 17-9 at Bello Field in Medford, Massachusetts. The Lynx conclude the season with a 13-7 overall record after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Tufts controlled the early momentum, building a 5-0 lead in the opening quarter before extending the advantage to 12-3 by halftime. Despite the deficit, Rhodes continued to battle throughout the second half, scoring six goals over the final two quarters against the nation's top-ranked team.
Key Performances
Gavin Nagle led the Rhodes offense with four goals, marking his third straight multi-goal performance of the postseason. The junior attackman added scores in each half and helped spark a fourth-quarter push for the Lynx.
Andrew Murphy added two goals and one assist, while
Griffin Galloway recorded one goal and three assists in the loss.
Colin Finnigan finished with a goal and an assist, and
John Mori also added a goal for Rhodes.
Game Highlights
Tufts opened the game with five unanswered goals in the first quarter and continued its offensive surge early in the second, stretching the lead to 8-0 before
Gavin Nagle put Rhodes on the board midway through the period.
The Lynx responded late in the first half with goals from
John Mori and
Andrew Murphy in the final minute to cut the deficit to 12-3 heading into halftime.
Rhodes showed resilience throughout the second half, scoring back-to-back goals early in the third quarter behind
Griffin Galloway and Nagle to trim the margin to eight. In the fourth, the Lynx scored three times in just over two minutes as Nagle, Murphy, and
Colin Finnigan all found the back of the net during the stretch.
Nagle added his fourth goal of the afternoon late in the fourth quarter as Rhodes closed out its season against the defending national powerhouse.
Season Notes
The Lynx wrapped up another historic campaign in 2026, capturing back-to-back Southern Athletic Association Tournament championships and earning an NCAA Tournament victory over Rivier before advancing to face No. 1 Tufts. Rhodes also defeated Sewanee in the SAA Championship game for the second straight season to secure the conference's automatic NCAA bid.
