YORK, Pa. – With the score tied 9-9 and less than nine minutes remaining, the No. 12 nationally ranked Wesleyan women's lacrosse team went on a 4-1 fourth quarter run to defeat No. 11 York (PA) by a score of 13-11 in NCAA Second Round action on Sunday afternoon. Wesleyan (14-4) earns a spot in the NCAA Third Round for the third time in the last four seasons.
In a seesawing contest that saw both teams lead by at least two goals at different times in the game, the Spartans used a 4-1 run to erase what was an 8-5 Wesleyan lead, making it a tie game at 9 apiece with 9:41 remaining.
Needing a spark with their season on the line, Wesleyan's upperclassmen in the attacking end came through with a resounding 4-1 run to silence the home crowd and send the Cardinals into the NCAA Third Round.
Kate Balicki '23 scored the go-ahead goal that ignited the late run as she faked a dodge towards the middle, spinning all the way back around and continuing on her run towards the crease, beating the goalkeeper with a high shot into the upper corner.
Just 1:12 later, the ball worked its way down to
Olivia Lai '23 who took one jab step before beating the York defense with a run to the middle where she had a clean shooting lane that beat Bella Garabo low. The Spartans cut the lead back down to one 43 seconds later before
Kendall Mittleman '23 took a pass from Balicki and got her hands free for an attempt that went low, opposite post.
The ultimate dagger came just over a minute later when Lai stepped up and scored on a free position shot, the first time Wesleyan had scored on a free position attempt in the game (0-for-3 to start), that put the Cardinals up by three with 4:25 remaining.
York managed one goal before the clock ran out but Lai forced a big turnover off the ensuing draw control win from Christina Vendelis. With the ball now back in control, Wesleyan drained a full minute off the clock before York forced a turnover and had one last push. After a missed shot from Kiersten Blanchard, she committed the turnover that sealed the game for the visitors.
It was advantage York in the early going, as the Spartans built a 4-2 lead including the game's first goal coming just 38 seconds into play. Wesleyan answered with a 3-0 second quarter, holding York off the scoreboard for the entire period. Lai,
Chessy Greenwald '23 and Balicki netted the three Wesleyan goals that put the Cardinals up 5-4 at the half.
Mittleman scored the first goal of the second half and added two more, all within the first 5:24 of the third quarter as Wesleyan suddenly had their biggest lead of the game at 8-5. The Spartans found their offense as a 4-1 run tied the score at 9-9 before the late Wesleyan run gave them the win.
Wesleyan generated a 46-20 advantage in shot attempts for the game, as Garabo kept York in the game with 13 saves. A defining stat, translating directly to the outcome was a +8 advantage in turnover margin for Wesleyan, as York committed 19 compared to 11 for the Cardinals. Wesleyan also held a 23-12 edge in ground balls.
Lai had a big day all over the field, posting four goals, three caused turnovers, three draw controls and two ground balls in her first career NCAA Tournament game. Lai's fourth goal was her 60
th of the season as the junior attack joins Abby Manning '20 as the only two 60+ goal scorers in a single-season in program history.
Mittleman put on a show in the second half, scoring a career-high four goals, all of which came in the second half. The team-leader in assists for most of the season, Mittleman's goal scoring proved vital in the Wesleyan victory.
Balicki had a four-point day, scoring twice and assisting on two more Cardinal goals. Greenwald had one goal and two assists for three points on the afternoon.
Abbey Logan '22 led the team with five ground balls while
Kiara Tangney '25 led the team with four draw controls.
Up next for the Cardinals is a trip to Gettysburg where they await a matchup against No. 5 Washington & Lee on Saturday, May 21 at 2:30 PM.
Gallery: (5-15-2022) WLAX at York (NCAA 2nd Round)
