GALLOWAY, N.J. – Another day, another 20+ goal performance for the No. 20 ranked Wesleyan men's lacrosse team as the Cardinals toppled Stockton 23-10 on Tuesday afternoon on the road. Wesleyan improves to 4-0 for the second time in three seasons while handing the Ospreys (5-1) their first loss of 2024.
 
The nation's highest-scoring offense by a wide margin was at its best again on Tuesday, generating a season-high 71 shots to ease past Stockton. Coming in averaging 24.3 goals per game, Wesleyan generated quality looks throughout the contest, with six players scoring at least twice while three netted hat tricks.
 
The tone was set from the onset, with Wesleyan scoring five unanswered before the Ospreys netted their first with 3:09 left in the first quarter. In that 5-0 run to start the game, the Cardinals took advantage of a pair of man-up opportunities, with goals from Justin Hazard '23 and DJ Dixon '24. Stockton managed a couple of goals in short succession but Jack Raba '23 scored an unassisted tally with 15 seconds left in the quarter, kick starting a 6-0 run extending into a 9-1 scoring spree that pushed Wesleyan's lead up to 14-3.
 
Goals came flying in as Wesleyan scored four times in the first 4:33 of the second quarter and Matt Rettinger '25 finished off the 6-0 run with his first of the season to make it 11-2. Noam Levy-Smith scored for Stockton to end the scoring drought for the Ospreys, but Wesleyan answered with three unanswered as goals from Will Shull '25, Dixon, and Hazard made it 14-3.
 
Leading at the half 14-5, the Ospreys managed to cut the deficit down to 14-6 with under a minute elapsed in the third quarter, but another extended Wesleyan run, this time a 4-0 swing, put the game away. Again, it was four different goal scorers factoring for the Cardinals, with Hazard, Dixon, Shull, and Will Miller '26 combining in a 6:20 minute span to make it 18-6 midway through the third.
 
The teams traded goals for the remainder of play as the two sides didn't back off, combining for 26 shots in the fourth quarter alone, as the game ended in a 23-10 Cardinal victory.
 
Raba continues to lead the attack, registering six points (two goals, four assists) to bring his team-leading total up to 23 (eight goals, 15 assists) on the season. Dixon and Hazard both finished with four goals and one assist for five points while Hazard added three ground balls.
 
Ben Burns '26 and Charlie Knapp '26 each finished with two goals and one assist. The three points for Knapp tied a career-high. Shull finished with three goals for his second career hat trick and first since scoring four against Williams in 2022. Gavin Lechner '27 added one goal and one assist, both coming in the fourth quarter, while eight other Cardinals finished with one point apiece.
 
Emmett Schilllinger '25 racked up seven ground balls, which is a new career-high for the defender. Joe Hurton '27 posted five ground balls for the second straight game. Devin Alton '25 led the face off unit, going 7-for-14 on the day.
 
In goal, Sam Jewett '25 posted six saves with six goals allowed for a .500 save percentage, picking up his fourth win of the campaign. Liam McCarthy '27 came on late and made two saves in just 5:17 of work, allowing one goal.
 
The Cardinals will be put to the test on Saturday as Wesleyan travels to face No. 17 Williams for a 1 PM start in what is the third straight road game for Wesleyan. The Ephs have been a constant thorn in the side of the Cardinals in recent season, as Wesleyan comes in having lost three straight to their Little Three rivals dating back to 2021.