MIDDLETOWN, Conn. –
Spencer Robbins '22 scored the go-ahead goal with 32 seconds remaining and the Cardinal defense held strong in the closing seconds as the No. 19 nationally ranked Wesleyan men's lacrosse team won a thriller at Citrin Field, 12-11, over No. 16 Middlebury on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan (8-2, 4-2 NESCAC) found a way to win despite the Panthers (5-5, 4-3 NESCAC) outshooting the Cardinals 56-30, giving Wesleyan a third straight win while the Cardinals improve to 5-1 at home in 2022.
With two upper-echelon NESCAC programs going at it right from the jump, this game saw the Cardinals leading 8-3 at the half despite being outshot 30-10 in the first half. Wesleyan managed eight goals on 10 shot attempts while Middlebury had 30 shot attempts with just nine land on-goal with only three finding the back of the net.
The script completely flipped in the second half as a 4-0 flurry midway through the fourth quarter saw Middlebury close the deficit to just one. Another extended Panther run in the fourth quarter saw the Cardinals' 10-7 lead turn into a 10-10 tie with 9:17 remaining.
Robbins came up with a key man-up goal to snuff out the Middlebury scoring streak but the Panthers answered back with Billy Curtis tying the score at 11 apiece with 1:45 left.
Kevin Talbot '24 won a crucial faceoff and Wesleyan called timeout with the ball and just 1:22 showing on the clock. With the show clock dwindling down, the ball zipped from one Cardinal to another as the Panther defense sat back denying shooting lanes. In need of a goal, the ball eventually found its way to the hot hand in Robbins as he wound up from deep and found the lower right corner of the cage.
Spencer Robbins '22 whinds up for his go-ahead, game-winning goal in the final minute
With time still left, the Panthers managed a faceoff win and called timeout with 24 seconds left. Middlebury's offense tried to find a hole in the Cardinal defense but the clock ticked under five seconds and all the Panthers could manage was a last second desperation attempt from Jack Sheehan that was helped wide by the converging Wesleyan defense. As the final horn sounded, the entire Wesleyan bench sprinted to the far corner to celebrate a thrilling win on Senior Day.
In a game that was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning in the area pregame, both offenses were slow to get started as the strong crowd on-hand had to wait 6:29 minutes of game action before Robbins put in his first of a career-high five goals on the game.
Even as Middlebury's riding defense forced several Wesleyan turnovers on clearing attempts, the Panthers were unable to cash in and the Cardinals built a 4-0 lead thanks to unassisted goals from
Sam Jean '23 and
DJ Dixon '24 while Robbins scored again, this time on the man-up, to close the scoring in the first. Incredibly, Middlebury outshot Wesleyan 19-4 in the first quarter but the Cardinals led 4-0 as all four of their shot attempts in the frame were goals.
Back-to-back great feeds from Bobby Hendry brought the Panthers back to within two early in the second quarter but a 3-0 Cardinal run saw Wesleyan hold a 7-2 lead. After trading goals in the final 10+ minutes, it was 8-3 Cardinals at the break.
Charlie Silver '25 was a key piece in the Cardinal defense throughout
In need of a spark, Middlebury benched starting goalkeeper Finn O'Connor for the first time in 10 games this season, inserting Matt Dailey in the cage after O'Connor allowed eight goals on 10 Wesleyan shot attempts in the first half. That move paid instant dividends as Dailey denied
Jacob Braunstein '23 less than two minutes into the second half which seemed to light a spark for the Panthers who went on a 4-0 run over the next 8+ minutes to get to within one of the lead.
Wesleyan, however, managed a late response as
Alex Moynihan '24 buried a shot from the left wing before a crucial last second goal saw
Ben Kaplan '22 fire upfield for classmate
Jake Sexton '22 who rifled a shot in the upper left corner, just inside the post and crossbar, to score and put Wesleyan ahead 10-7 with just two seconds left in the quarter.
Right when it seemed the Cardinals took all momentum, Middlebury continued their second half push and tied the score at 10 apiece with a 3-0 run to open the fourth. After trading goals, the stage was set for Robbins' last minute game-winner to hand the Cardinals a thrilling home win.
Middlebury dominated the statistics in nearly every category despite the loss, outshooting Wesleyan 56-30, forcing 25 Cardinal turnovers and limiting Wesleyan to a 19-for-29 showing on clears. Middlebury also held a 45-26 edge in ground balls and won the faceoff battle 15-12. However, Wesleyan relied on strong goalkeeping (10 saves from
Colin Hanley '22) and extra man opportunities (2-for-2 for Wesleyan compared to 0-for-2 for Middlebury) as well as accurate shooting that proved the difference in the end.
Colin Hanley '22 made five of his 10 saves in the first quarter alone
Robbins was a monster with a career game, going for five goals which was two more than his previous career-high. Sexton and Dixon each finished with two goals and one assist while
CK Giancola '24 dished out three assists. Incredibly, Wesleyan managed the win despite their leading point producer
Matt Gill '23 being held without a point and their leading goal scorer
Justin Hazard '23 finishing without a goal.
Charlie Hoban '25 was all over the midfield with a career-high six ground balls while
Charlie Silver '25 led the Cardinal defense with four ground balls and two caused turnovers.
William Ryan and Hendry each finished with one goal and three assists for the Panthers who saw 10 different players score a goal. Luke Simpson dominated on defense with six caused turnovers and three ground balls while he also chipped in with one goal.
Wesleyan has a big week ahead as the Cardinals travel to Trinity on Wednesday night before heading on the road again to face perennial Top 10 power Tufts on Saturday afternoon.
