MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The No. 8 ranked Wesleyan women's lacrosse team gave No. 1 Middlebury all they could handle in a 12-10 loss to the Panthers on Saturday afternoon from Peter Kohn Field. The Cardinals (5-2, 1-2 NESCAC) see their five-game win streak come to an end while the Panthers (8-0, 5-0 NESCAC) have won 36 straight games and 19 consecutive at home.
 
The Cardinals gave the Panthers trouble throughout the game, never allowing the national power Middlebury to gain a solid footing on the momentum. Wesleyan never trailed by more than two goals the entire game and led 10-9 with 9:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, only to see the Panthers score three unanswered in the final 4:32 of play to secure a late comeback win.
 
Trailing 8-6 midway through the third quarter, Izzy Weintraub '26 denied Maggie Coughlin on a free position shot that would've put the Panthers up by three goals. That big save, followed by a clean breakout, led to an Olivia Lai '23 goal in transition that lowered the deficit to one. Bridget Horst '26 secured the ensuing draw and Dylan Green '26 found the back of the net on the next Cardinal possession, tying the score at 8-8.
 
Wesleyan nearly took the lead before the end of the third quarter, but Sam DeLeo '25 rang the post with her shot attempt and Middlebury's Susan Rowley shot wide in the closing seconds as it was all-square entering the fourth.
 
After consecutive failed clear attempts, the Cardinals paid the price as Rowley netted the go-ahead goal with 11:46 remaining. But just 30 seconds later, a yellow card shown to Middlebury's Grace Mumford sent the Cardinals on a player-up opportunity, which led to a Becca Dibble '26 game-tying goal.
 
The ensuing draw went to Horst again and on a free position attempt, Lai came through with the go-ahead goal, giving Wesleyan a 10-9 lead with 9:44 left.
 
Middlebury took a timeout following the Lai free position tally and began peppering Weintraub who continued to stand on her head, making saves on Caroline Adams and Kelcey Dion to keep Wesleyan out in front.
 
The Cardinals had three possessions following Lai's goal to potentially go up two goals, but came up empty on each, and the Panthers ultimately got one past Weintraub as Hope Shue scored on a free position with 4:32 left.
 
Middlebury secured the draw and after Sara Ellinghaus hit the post on a free position shot, it was Shue who finished a feed from Rowley to put the Panthers back in the lead with 3:01 left.
 
Horst continued to find a way on the draws, giving Wesleyan another chance, but a turnover early in the possession proved costly. The Panthers cleared and after holding possession for over a minute, it was Shue finding Rowley this time for a needed insurance marker.
 
Now down two with 1:17 left, Horst again came up with the draw, only to see Elle Priesing '26 have a shot blocked with 31 seconds left and then Priesing hit the post 12 seconds later as the Panthers grabbed the ground ball and ran out the remaining seconds.
 
A tremendous effort turned in by the Cardinals against the three-time defending NCAA Champions saw Wesleyan force the Panthers into 18 turnovers while Middlebury's 12 goals are a new season-low.
 
Laura Baine '24 was the Cardinal offense in the first half, as the senior scored or assisted on three of the four goals Wesleyan scored before halftime. She followed with two second half assists to give her five points (two goals, three assists) for the game.
 
Dibble recorded two goals and one assist for three points while Lindsey Diomede '26 and Lai finished with two goals each, giving Wesleyan four players with multi-goal games.
 
Weintraub made five of her six saves in the second half alone, keeping the Cardinals in the game late. Haley McLaughlin '24 recorded four ground balls and two caused turnovers to lead the defense. Horst finished with seven draw controls and one assist.
 
The Cardinals are back on the road for their next game, heading to Amherst on Wednesday night for a 6 PM start. A win over the Mammoths would secure Wesleyan the 2024 Little Three Championship as the Cardinals defeated Williams 16-12 back on March 16 at home.