WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The storybook 2023 season for Wesleyan field hockey came to an end on Saturday afternoon as the five-seed Cardinals were defeated by the four-seed Williams, 3-2, in overtime in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. Wesleyan closes out their season with a 9-7 record while the Ephs (10-6) move on to the semifinal round.
An incredible effort was turned in by Cardinal goalkeeper
Audrey Pace '26, who set a NESCAC Tournament record and career-high with 23 saves. Having just earned NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week for all of Division III, Pace was on her A game, recording 17 saves in the second half and overtime period combined. She closes out the season with 121 saves (7.6 per game) – fourth-highest single-season total in team history – and a .786 save percentage.
Playing in their first postseason game since the 2013 season, Wesleyan was the better side in the early going and took advantage of a key opportunity late in the half to take a lead into halftime. With the clock winding down under 10 seconds to play, the Cardinals drew a penalty corner and cashed in as
Imani Ochieng '25 ripped a shot that went inside the left post, scoring her first goal of the season.
The Ephs came out on a mission to start the second half, leveling the game on a Molly Hellman goal. Williams then took the lead with 30 seconds left in the stanza, as Meaghan Boehm tapped in an initial shot from Pilar Torres to make it 2-1 in favor of the Ephs.
Refusing to quit, in the face of heavy pressure in their own defensive end, the Cardinals capitalized on a rare opportunity with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter.
Georgia Adams '26 did what she's done all season, score in big spots as the sophomore leveled from a tight angle, scoring her 16
th goal of the season to send the game into overtime.
Williams dominated the overtime, drawing three corners and recording seven shots before finding the game-winner on the third corner of the extra session. Torres took the insert and delivered a powerful strike that went into the bottom right corner to send the Ephs into the semifinals.
An incredible display saw Wesleyan force overtime in a game where Williams outshot the Cardinals 38-6 and 26-2 in shots on-goal. In the second half and overtime frames, Williams managed 31 shots compared to four for Wesleyan while the Ephs amassed a 14-3 advantage in penalty corners.
Adams' 16 goals this season represent the second-most for any Cardinal in a single-season in team history.