Box Score MIDDLETOWN, CONN. — The Williams women's lacrosse team (10–6, 5–6 NESCAC) fell to the Wesleyan Cardinals (14-2, 9-2 NESCAC) 11-6 in today's first round contest of the NESCAC Tournament at Wesleyan University. This contest was the first NESCAC Tournament matchup for the Ephs since 2016. The Cardinals rattled off three goals in the first quarter and were up by 5 going into halftime. The Ephs put up a good fight, scoring 3 goals in the second half for a total of 6, but the Cardinals could not be beat.
The first quarter belonged to the Cardinals. To start, Anj Raman '24 went in goal for the Ephs, and Abby Wolk went in goal for the Cardinals. Wesleyan's Kate Balicki started off the scoring at 12:26 when she netted off a pass from Kendall Mittleman.
At 11:36, Olivia Lai followed suit and scored on a free position shot, putting Wesleyan up 2-0. Kate Balicki kept up the scoring streak at 8:53 when she scored off a pass from Gil Horst, giving Wesleyan a 3-point lead.
Lauren Morganlander '26 responded by slotting home one of her own at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter on a free position shot — Wesleyan's lead was now 3-1 going into the second quarter.
Kate Balicki began the second quarter by pulling off a hat trick at 13:16 with an assist by Chessy Greenwald, putting Wesleyan at 4-1. Kendall Mittleman then scored on a free position shot and increased the Cardinals' lead to 5-1. At 11:12, Anj Raman stopped Kendall Mittleman from scoring again.
Christina Halloran '24 scored the Ephs' first non-free position shot goal of the game at 9:34 with an assist by Meghan Keenan, decreasing the Cardinals' lead to 3. After more than 8 minutes with no scoring, Chessy Greenwald found the back of the cage with an assist by Kate Balicki with just one minute left in the quarter.
With 15 seconds left in the quarter, Kiara Tangney took advantage of a free position shot and put Wesleyan at 7-2 going into halftime.
To start the second half, Caroline Pratt '25 went in goal for the Ephs. The first goal of the second half was scored by the Cardinals' Annabel Cincotta at 12:48, increasing Wesleyan's lead to 8-2. Bridget Horst and Kendall Mittleman kept up the momentum and brought the Cardinals to 10-2.
At 5:23, Williams finally responded when Abby Godwin '24 netted off a pass from Sasha Landau '25, putting the Ephs 7 points behind the Cardinals. Anna Miller '26 followed suit at 2:19, scoring with an assist by Sasha Landau — Wesleyan now led by 10-4 going into the third quarter.
Izzy Weintraub went in goal for the Cardinals for the final quarter, and the Ephs kept their momentum going. At 11:47, Claudia Russell '25 scored on a free position shot, shrinking Wesleyan's lead to 5. Grace Collier '25 brought the Ephs' score count up to 6 at 6:39 when she took advantage of a free position shot.
Wesleyan's Molly Greer put an end to Williams' scoring streak with 2:33 left in the game when she scored on a free position shot, closing out the scoring for the game and securing an 11-6 win for the Cardinals.
Wesleyan goalie Abby Wolk made 6 saves and allowed 4 goals and Izzy Weintraub made 3 saves and allowed 2 goals, while Williams goalie Anj Raman made 4 saves and allowed 7 goals and Caroline Pratt made 3 saves and allowed 4 goals on the day.
"The team competed today and we couldn't ask for more,"said Eph head coach
Alice Lee. "They played with so much heart and left it all out on the field today. I want to thank our seniors and captains who helped pave the way for a great season, and we cannot thank them enough for their dedication to the program, and for building the foundation for our returners to be hungry and ready for next year. 2023 is one to remember."
This game concludes the Ephs' women's lacrosse season with a record of 10–6 and 5–6 in the NESCAC.
