MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The 2021 NESCAC runner-up Wesleyan women's lacrosse team is set to open postseason play on Saturday when it hosts fifth-seeded Hamilton in the NESCAC Quarterfinal round at 11:30 AM from Smith Field.
The Cardinals wrapped up the regular season as the four-seed with a 7-3 record in NESCAC play (12-3 overall). Hamilton earned the #5 seed after going 5-5 in league play (7-6 overall). The two sides met in Middletown last Wednesday, with the Cardinals earning an 18-8 home win on April 20. Wesleyan sits No. 11 in the national rankings while the Continentals are No. 15.
Wesleyan is set to make their 12
th all-time NESCAC Tournament appearance and their fifth straight overall. During the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, Wesleyan earned a trip to their first-ever NESCAC title game, which ended in a 14-3 defeat at Tufts. The Cardinals are looking for their second-ever win in a NESCAC Quarterfinal in what will be Wesleyan's third home NESCAC Tournament game in program history on Saturday. In the 2019 NESCAC Tournament, the most-recent traditionally-held postseason, Wesleyan defeated Colby 14-12 at home to advance to the semifinals.
The two sides enter postseason play on opposite ends of the spectrum as the Cardinals come in winners of three straight, having scored 18+ goals in all three and outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 55-19 in the win streak. Hamilton, meanwhile, comes in having lost three of their last four games and six of their last eight.
Wesleyan averaged 14.4 goals per game in the regular season (4
th in the NESCAC) while the Cardinals' shooting percentage (.466) ranks second in the league. No one averages more assists than Wesleyan's 7.00 per game while Hamilton is much more isolation heavy as the Continentals' 4.00 assists per game is tied for ninth-most in the NESCAC.
The Cardinal defense has also shined this season, heading into the postseason with a 7.27 goals-against average (3
rd-lowest in the NESCAC) while Hamilton is allowing 11.07 goals per game (8
th-most in the league). Wesleyan leads the NESCAC in both ground balls per game (21.53) and caused turnovers per game (14.07) but Hamilton is above average in both categories ranking third in both.
Olivia Lai '23 is in the midst of one of the best seasons by a Cardinal in program history, currently sitting on 53 goals which is already the second-highest single-season total in team history. Her 53 goals is tied for the most in the NESCAC while she also has eight assists for 61 points in 15 games.
Plenty of offensive production is littered all across the Wesleyan lineup as
Laura Baine '24 ranks sixth in the NESCAC in points (58) while she is tied for fourth in assists (25) and 12
th in goals (33).
Kendall Mittleman '23 leads the team and ranks third in the NESCAC with 31 assists while
Kate Balicki '23 is second on the team and tied for ninth in the NESCAC with 36 goals.
Indigo Pellegrini de Paur '21, G'22 ranks Top 10 in the NESCAC in draw controls (57 | 7
th), caused turnovers (28 |4
th) and ground balls (34 | T-3
rd) as she will lead the Wesleyan defense alongside the league's leader in caused turnovers
Erin Trotta '23 who has 31 (2.07 per game) on the season.
Hamilton is led by Olivia Seymour on offense as she ranks first on the team in points (39), second in goals (26) and tied for first in assists 913). Eva Abel is the team leader with 30 goals while Clarissa Hurley has 11 goals and 13 assists on the season. The player to watch in the midfield is Meghan Lane as she leads the NESCAC in both draw controls per game (5.00) and ground balls per game (3.08) while she also ranks third in caused turnovers per game (2.23).
In the regular season meeting, Wesleyan led 9-3 at the half and never looked back, closing out the game with a 6-1 fourth quarter scoring advantage. Lai put up five goals and one assist for six points while five others recorded three-point games.
Kiara Tangney '25 played a major role as she posted two goals, one assist, seven draw controls, three ground balls and one turnover. Pellegrini de Paur also had a big day with seven draw controls, five ground balls and three caused turnovers as Wesleyan held a 21-8 advantage in draws for the game.
Wesleyan is 5-7 all-time against Hamilton but have won five of the last six meetings. This is the first time these two sides have met in the postseason.
