AMHERST, Mass. – Another year, another Little Three Championship for the No. 8 ranked Wesleyan women's lacrosse team who claimed their fourth straight title in a dominating 17-8 win over No. 17 Amherst on Tuesday night from Gooding Field. Wesleyan (6-2, 2-2 NESCAC) earns their fourth straight win over the Mammoths (4-5, 1-4 NESCAC) and wins for the third time in the last four games against ranked opponents.
 
It was one-way traffic for a sizable chunk of the first half, with Wesleyan going on a 7-0 run for over 20 minutes of play. The Mammoths managed a goal on their opening possession but then went scoreless for the next 21:47 of play while the Cardinal attack went to work in building the early lead.
 
Laura Baine '24 scored three of the four Wesleyan goals in the first quarter, with two coming on free position attempts, as the Cardinals outshot the Mammoths 12-2 in the opening stanza. The margin could have been much bigger in favor of Wesleyan if not for the play of Amherst goalkeeper Jessye Salmon who made five of her 14 saves in the first quarter alone.
 
Wesleyan did not slow down to start the second quarter as free position goals from Brooke Nelson '24, Bridget Horst '26, and Sam DeLeo '25 made it 7-1 just 3:21 into the frame. Amherst broke their scoreless streak midway through the quarter, but the Cardinals added two more before halftime to take a 9-3 lead into the break. Molly Greer '24 found the back of the net on a free position shot while Baine assisted on a Dylan Green '26 goal with just six seconds remaining in the quarter.
 
Neither side got much going in the third quarter, with just five combined goals scored in the stanza, but two important goals with under two minutes remaining in the quarter from Kiara Tangney '25 and Horst made it 12-5 Wesleyan heading into the fourth.
 
The Cardinals effectively drained the clock in the fourth quarter, allowing just four Amherst shots in the final frame. Wesleyan led by six with five minutes left in regulation and finished the game strong with three unanswered goals late on as Tangney scored again before Baine netted her fourth and Elle Priesing '26 scored with just one second left to account for the 17-8 final score.
 
Wesleyan dominated all facets, outshooting the Mammoths 36-14 and finishing +11 in turnover margin as Amherst committed 23 turnovers for the game compared to just 12 for the Cardinals. Another key stat came on free position shots as the Cardinals went 7-for-8 while Amherst was just 1-of-4 with the one goal coming in the fourth quarter.
 
Baine was incredible throughout, finishing with a career-high eight points on four goals and four assists. Her eight points are the most by a Cardinal in at least 15 years while she moved into fourth place on the all-time career points list at Wesleyan as she has 150 in 49 career games.
 
The Wesleyan midfield unit dominated the game, with the trio of Greer (three goals), Tangney (two goals, five ground balls, three draw controls, two caused turnovers), and Horst (two goals, seven draw controls) contributing across the board.
 
Wesleyan's 17 goals are tied for the most the Cardinals have ever scored in a game against Amherst with the only previous occurrence being last season's 17-7 win in Middletown.
 
The title-clinching win over the Mammoths gives Wesleyan momentum heading into a massive clash on Saturday at home as the Cardinals welcome No. 3 Tufts to Smith Field for a Noon start. The two sides played three times last season with Wesleyan winning the first showdown 14-10 in Medford during the regular season but the Jumbos bounced the Cardinals in the NESCAC Semifinals 13-11 and in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament 11-8.