MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Spurned chances proved costly for the No. 16 ranked Wesleyan field hockey team on Tuesday night as the Cardinals suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Connecticut College from Smith Field. Wesleyan (9-6, 5-5 NESCAC) has already secured a spot in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2013 while the Camels (6-9, 2-8 NESCAC) finish their season on a high note.
 
The Cardinals generated an 8-3 edge in penalty corners and outshot the Camels 18-14, but landed just five of those shots on-target for the game. The Camels continue to have all the answers when it comes to facing the Cardinals as Conn. is now 4-1 in the last five meetings against Wesleyan, holding Wes to just one goal in three of the past four showdowns.
 
Conn. came to play, dominating the first few minutes and generating several quality looks from in close that were handled by Cardinal goalkeeper Audrey Pace '26. After making four saves in the first 5:55 of play, Pace couldn't get a piece of a shot from Rowan Galanis who scored on a rebound to make it 1-0 Camels.
 
Annabel Cincotta '25 had a quality look from in close with 57 seconds left in the first but her lifted shot off the turf was turned aside by Liz Winemaster in goal for the Camels.
 
On the first penalty corner of the game, Wesleyan broke through as Georgia Adams '26 buried a chance at the near post with Isabelle Benoit '26 receiving the ball right in front of goal and sliding a pass to her left where Adams was in a good position to poke home the chance.
 
That glimmer of momentum was short-lived, however, as Bridget McGann scored just over five minutes later. Receiving a ball just outside the arc, she carried in along the end line and as Pace was playing off her right post, McGann found daylight and slid home a goal at the near post as the Camels retook the lead.
 
More opportunities came right before halftime as Cincotta saw a shot on-goal turned aside by Winemaster and Adams blasted a shot on the turf that was denied by the left arm of the Conn. goalkeeper to keep the Camels out in front heading into halftime.
 
After an uneventful third quarter, Wesleyan spurned another big chance as Kenzie Kelly '25 received the insert off a penalty corner, ran to her right and centered for Helen Deretchin '25 who had an open goal to shoot on, but the shot attempt whistled wide in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
 
Deretchin kept the Cardinals in the game just a few minutes later as a productive penalty corner from Conn. saw Pace turn aside three shots on-goal before Deretchin swept a would-be goal from Kylee Quinn off the line for a defensive save, keeping the deficit at one.
 
The last prime scoring chance came with 2:45 remaining on the final penalty corner of the game. Kenzie Mauro '27 had a few shot attempts blocked away and the ball fell to Kelly in the middle and as she looked to nudge the ball towards the cage with the goalkeeper out of position, but her stick came together with another stick and the ball dribbled harmlessly away for the Camels.
 
Wesleyan looks to regroup and refocus heading into what is the first chance at postseason experience for the entire group of Cardinals. Their quarterfinal opponent is yet to be determined, but the highest the Cardinals can finish is the #5 seed, therefore, the team's postseason debut will be played away from home on Saturday.