MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Handling the pressure of the moment like seasoned veterans, the No. 13 ranked Wesleyan field hockey team turned in a stellar performance to defeat No. 22 Ithaca 2-0 on Wednesday night from Hicks Field in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Wesleyan (12-5) ends the Bombers' (15-6) season and advance to the Second Round where they travel to take on a familiar foe in No. 4 Williams on Saturday in Williamstown.
 
In a highly competitive back-and-forth battle, the history-making Cardinals made the winning plays to power past an Ithaca squad who made history of their own, having just won the Liberty League Championship for the first time last weekend. Playing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, Wesleyan handled the moment and recorded the first shutout of the year in the win. The last time the Cardinals shut out an opponent came in a 5-0 win at Clark University on September 12, 2023 (29 games ago).

FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME ?
FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT WIN ?

Goals from Teddy Tolbert '28 and Georgia Adams '26, combined with a 4-save shutout from Audrey Pace '26, send the Cards past Ithaca 2-0 and into the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament ?? pic.twitter.com/MokNwDTC00

— Wesleyan Athletics (@wes_athletics) November 14, 2024

 
Playing in frigid low 40-degree temperatures, the two sides played to a scoreless first quarter with just three combined shots.
 
The breakthrough goal came just over three minutes into the second quarter as Kenzie Kelly '25 had time to advance 15 yards unimpeded with the ball before sending a hard pass between two Bomber defenders to Teddy Tolbert '28 just above the shooting circle. With her back to goal, Tolbert carried into the arc while shielding off an Ithaca defender. The first-year lined up a reverse sweep shot attempt from distance that was struck perfectly, zipping over the head of Ithaca goalkeeper Maeve Clark and into the upper right corner of the cage.
 
Ithaca threatened to tie the score before halftime, generating three penalty corners in a span of 16 seconds late in the second quarter but the Cardinal defense stood tall, blocking all three shot attempts to give Wesleyan a 1-0 halftime lead.
 
The Cardinals dominated possession in the third quarter, hemming the ball in the Bombers' defensive end for a majority of the frame. Imani Ochieng '25 had a pair of quality attempts on-target off a penalty corner that Clark turned aside, keep the deficit at one-goal. Wesleyan managed to outshoot Ithaca 7-1 in the quarter, but the best scoring chance was the lone Bomber attempt on-frame.
 
After withstanding 10+ minutes of extended Wesleyan possession in their defensive end, Ithaca got a penalty corner with 2:43 left in the quarter and came within inches of tying the score. The ball came to Bella McColliser at the top of the arc who passed towards the far post. After a couple of deflections, the ball found the stick of the inserter Brenna Schoenfeld who nudged a shot on-target that required a diving stick save from Audrey Pace '26 in net that kept the Cardinals in front.
 
Looking for an insurance marker, the Cardinals continued to hold a massive edge in possession and the pressure ultimately paid off with a crucial second goal with 6:16 remaining. On what was the Cardinals' second penalty corner in a span of 12 seconds, a Bomber defender left the goal line early, giving Wesleyan another penalty corner chance, this time with just three Ithaca field players defending the cage. With more space to work, the ball came to Kelly on the right wing who took a couple of steps before centering for Georgia Adams '26 right in front. With all three Ithaca field players collapsing around Kelly, Adams had just Clark to beat and she made no mistake, beating the sprawling goalkeeper with power to make it 2-0 Cardinals on her 13^th goal of the season.
 
Needing to make something happen, Ithaca did manage a couple of penalty corners just over a minute later, but both came and went without a shot on-goal. The Bombers pulled Clark for an extra field player with one minute to play but the final 60 seconds came and went and the Cardinals celebrated the NCAA Tournament win with a captivating postgame light show on the brand new Hicks Field.
 
Shots favored Wesleyan 15-8 (11-4 in shots on-goal) including a 12-3 advantage in the second half. Penalty corners finished level at 7-7.
 
Tolbert's goal is the first-ever scored by Wesleyan in the NCAA Tournament and gives the first-year five tallies on the year, which is third-most on the team. Kelly dished out assists on both Wesleyan goals, giving her four for the season as well as her first multi-assist game of the year and third of her career.
 
Awaiting the Cardinals in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament is a showdown against a familiar foe in No. 4 Williams on Saturday at 11 AM in Williamstown. The two sides played to a 2-1 score in the regular season, with Williams coming out on top in Middletown. Pace made 11 saves in that contest while Brooke Miner '28 scored the lone Wesleyan goal on a penalty stroke.