SPARKS, Md. – The nation's highest-scoring team was at it again on Sunday, as the Wesleyan men's lacrosse team hit Roanoke for 23 goals, 21 of which were scored after the first quarter, in a 23-16 win from Tierney Field at the US Lacrosse Headquarters in Maryland. The Cardinals (3-0) remain unbeaten in 2024 while handing the Maroons (5-2) just their second loss this season.
 
One game removed from netting a school record 30 goals on Wednesday in a win over Salve Regina, the Cardinal offense continues to mow through defenses, as the 23 goals is the most Roanoke has allowed since 2020 and represent a third straight game with 20+ goals to start the season for Wesleyan.
 
In a contest featuring 39 combined goals, the two sides took some time to get going as just four goals were scored in the first quarter. The score was still tied at 4-4 midway through the second before Wesleyan scored four unanswered in a span of just 2:57, taking an 8-4 lead. CK Giancola '24 scored a pair of unassisted goals in the 4-0 run while the Cardinal face off unit won all four, keeping the Roanoke attack at-bay.

After trading goals to end the first half, Roanoke scored first to open the second half, lowering the deficit to 9-6, but an explosive third quarter run that sealed the game started with back-to-back goals from Will Miller '26 followed by Ben Burns '26 scoring off a feed from DJ Dixon '24. The Maroons broke up the Cardinals' scoring streak with a goal, but Wesleyan answered back with five unanswered to take a commanding 17-7 lead. Late in the third. Four different Cardinals scored in the 5-0 run including two from James Bailey '26 who tallied six of his career-high seven points in the second half.
 
Roanoke scored three straight following the 8-1 third quarter Wesleyan run and got to within six goals of the lead with 9:24 remaining, but two penalties from Roanoke on the same Cardinal possession led right to consecutive Giancola man-up markers midway through the fourth. Giancola added another, his sixth on the day, completing a string of three straight goals in just 37 seconds to seal the win.
 
Bailey took on a leading role, exploding for career-highs across the board with four goals and three assists for a seven-point game. Giancola racked up six goals, setting a season-high and matching a career-high as he now has three career six-goal games to his name. Burns finished with four goals as he has 11 through three games, already just two shy of his season total from his freshman year.
 
Jack Raba '23 dished out four assists, upping his team-leading point total to 17 on the season. Justin Hazard '23, Miller, Charlie Hoban '25, and Alex Moynihan '24 all netted two goals each while Joe Hurton '27 dished out an assist for his first collegiate point. In all, 15 Cardinals had at least one point in the win.
 
The face off tandem of Jackson Tinari '26 and Devin Alton '25 performed well as Tinari went 14-for-21 with a career-high nine ground balls at the X while Alton finished 11-for-20 with five ground balls and one goal as the pair both finished above 50 percent for the game.
 
Sam Jewett '25 played all 60 minutes in the cage and recorded 14 saves which is a new season-high and just one shy of his career-high. Through three games, Jewett has 34 saves and a .507 save percentage while earning three wins.
 
The lengthy road trip continues with a mid-week road clash on Tuesday as the Cardinals face Stockton for a 1 PM start in New Jersey. This will be the first all-time meeting between the two sides.