WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Trailing 3-0 in the blink of an eye, the No. 13 ranked Wesleyan field hockey team didn't pack it in, scoring twice to give No. 4 Williams all they could handle in the end, but it proved not enough as the Cardinals fell to the Ephs 3-2 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan's historic 2024 season ends with a 12-6 record and in a place the team had never been previously, the NCAA Tournament.
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The Cardinals were undone in this one by a blistering 1:46 minutes in the first quarter wherein the Ephs scored three goals, all scored in open play. Meaghan Boehm was first to score, taking a feed from Kiki Higgins and deflecting home the opener with 3:51 left in the frame.
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A green card issued to Wesleyan just 35 seconds following the Boehm goal proved costly with Williams scoring twice in the two-minute penalty. Just 15 seconds following the green card and 50 seconds following Boehm's goal, Higgins slotted home another Williams tally to make it 2-0 Ephs.
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It was Higgins again who scored a wonder goal to put Williams ahead 3-0. Carrying the ball inside the shooting arc, Higgins lofted a rainbow shot up and over
Audrey Pace '26 in net.
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The comeback bid started early in the second quarter with
Georgia Adams '26 scoring her 14
th of the season.
Brooke Miner '28 sent a lofted pass up and over several Eph defenders to Adams who possessed near the end line. Sliding the ball onto her backhand, Adams got some height on a reverse sweep shot attempt that beat Ellie Smith and lowered the deficit to 3-1.
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Coming out of halftime still trailing by two, it was Adams once again for Wesleyan as
Sydney Cameron '26 sent her a perfect pass leading Adams into the arc. With Smith coming far off her line to challenge the pass, Adams nudged a shot on-target that beat the Williams goalie to make it 3-2 Ephs with 8:12 left in the third quarter.
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With the Ephs playing defensively, protecting the one-goal lead, chances came at a premium down the stretch. Wesleyan managed a penalty corner opportunity with 3:58 left in the third, but
Kenzie Mauro '27 saw her shot attempt denied by Smith.
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Williams' Claire Colvin was issued a green card early in the fourth, but the Cardinals weren't able to generate any shot attempts in the two-minutes with a player advantage.
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With the clock winding under three minutes to play, the Cardinals managed a penalty corner chance and the insert went to
Imani Ochieng '25 who fired a shot on-target, but Smith was there to turn aside the attempt.
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Wesleyan pulled Pace with 2:04 remaining, giving the Cardinals an extra field player, but to no avail as the Cardinals couldn't get the third goal to tie the score.
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Adams' two goals gives her 15 for the season and a single-season career-high 36 points. The 36 points are the second-highest single-season total in team history.
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Wesleyan's seven-player senior/graduate class – Ochieng,
Helen Deretchin '25,
Kenzie Kelly '25,
Annabel Cincotta '25,
Ava Galdenzi '24, G'25,
Sydney Atwood '25, and
Athena Vadnal '25 – can take pride in leading the program to new ground, including the team's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 12 wins this season is the third-highest single-season total in team history and the most since the Cardinals finished 13-5 in 2000.