MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Following a one-year absence, the No. 12 ranked Wesleyan men's lacrosse team is back in the NESCAC Tournament for the 20^th time in team history. The #2 seeded Cardinals (12-3, 8-2 NESCAC) wrapped up a sensational regular season and enter the postseason ready for a quarterfinal showdown with in-state rival and #7 seed Trinity (9-6, 5-5 NESCAC) on Saturday at 3 PM from Jackson Field.
 
A year removed from a disappointing 2023 season that saw the Cardinals go 8-7 (4-6 NESCAC) and miss the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2002, Wesleyan responded with 12 regular season victories, their highest single-season total since 2019 when the Cardinals also earned the #2 seed. The Cardinals are hosting a quarterfinal for  fourth straight tournament appearance and will do so against a familiar foe in the Bantams.
 
Trinity has been a thorn in the Cardinals' side the past two seasons, with the Bantams defeating Wesleyan 10-9 in overtime in a thriller back on April 10, which is one year removed from a 16-15 win in Middletown in the 2023 campaign. That victory from last season marked the first time Trinity had beaten Wesleyan since 2011, as the Cardinals had rattled off 11 straight wins over the Bantams prior to Trinity's current two-game win streak over their in-state league rival.
 
That matchup in Hartford from this season saw Trinity's goalkeeper Jordan Opdahl make 17 saves, including seven in the first quarter and 11 in the first half alone to keep the potent Cardinal offense in-check. After Wesleyan went up 6-4 midway through the third quarter, Trinity used a 4-0 run to take a two-goal lead with 6:44 left in the fourth. Two Wesleyan goals in 35 seconds tied the score before a captivating end to regular as Bo Page scored for Trinity with 13 seconds left, appearing to have just won the game, until Ben Burns '26 hit back with a game-tying goal with six seconds left, sending the game to OT. On the first possession of the extra session, Davis Burleson scored the game-winner, sending the Bantam bench into hysterics.
 
Since that defeat, Wesleyan has won four straight to finish off the regular season, with one of those wins being a 16-12 triumph over a Bowdoin team that came in with a perfect 8-0 league record last Saturday at Citrin Field. Wesleyan also earned convincing wins over Hamilton (17-7), Springfield (21-8), and Conn. College (19-13), heading into the postseason with plenty of momentum.
 
Wesleyan is 4-2 against ranked opponents in 2024, with one of those victories being a landmark win as the Cardinals toppled then-No. 4 Tufts 16-14 in Medford back on April 6. That win over the five-time defending NESCAC Champion Jumbos signaled the first time that Tufts had suffered a home loss to a NESCAC foe since 2018. Wesleyan used a 4-0 fourth quarter run to land the stunning upset.
 
Offense has been the calling card of the Cardinals all season, with Wesleyan sporting a Top 10 scoring offense in the nation at 17.3 goals per game, which also ranks second-best in the NESCAC. An all-around dynamic offense also ranks fifth in the country in assists per game (11.20), fourth in man-up offense (.543), and the Cardinals commit the third-fewest turnovers (14.5) in D3.
 
With all the scoring numbers ranking among the nation's best, the Cardinals employ a balanced attack with five players who finished the regular season with 40+ points while eight have at least 20 points on the season. Jack Raba '23 headlines a group that features four players with 100+ career points as the graduate attack has a team-leading 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 13 games played this season. Raba's 40 assists are second-most in the NESCAC while he sits fourth in the league in points per game (4.5).
 
Burns has elevated his play this season, blossoming from a man-up specialist in 2023 to one of the most-dangerous attackman in the NESCAC in 2024. After scoring 13 goals as a freshman, 11 of which came on the man-up, Burns has a team-leading 45 goals in 2024 with only three coming on the EMO. Burns' 3.0 goals per game average is second-best in the NESCAC while he also sits fourth on the team in both ground balls (32) and caused turnovers (15).
 
Midfielder CK Giancola '24 put up 38 goals and eight assists for 46 points in 14 games played, leading the team with 128 shots and eight man-up goals. Justin Hazard '23 is another productive player on attack with 45 points (29 goals, 16 assists) in 2024 while midfielders DJ Dixon '24 (28 goals, 12 assists) and James Bailey '26 (14 goals, 26 assists) both have 40 points on the season.
 
Alex Moynihan '24 is enjoying a career year at midfield, totaling 22 goals and six assists for 28 points which is already a single-season career-high. Will Miller '26 (10 goals, 12 assists) and Charlie Knapp '26 (13 goals, seven assists) both have 20+ points on the year, giving Wesleyan plenty of firepower at their disposal.
 
Leading the defensive unit throughout the second half of the season has been Conor Selfridge '26, as the Cardinals are 6-1 in his seven starts starting with a 12-11 home win over Amherst back on April 2. Selfridge has 10+ saves in six of those starts, with the one single-digit outing coming in a lobsided win over Springfield where he faced just nine shots on-goal in 43:41 minutes of action. Selfridge has a save percentage of at least 50 percent in five of his seven starts. For the season, he ranks second in the NESCAC in goals against average (9.97).
 
The defensive unit has featured the trio of Emmett Schillinger '25, Charlie Silver '25, and Jared Cohen '25 as the starters for nearly every game. Schillinger has 34 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers in his first season as a full-time starter. Silver totaled 20 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers in regular season play while Cohen racked up 20 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
 
The faceoff group features a duo of Tyler Campbell '25 (73-for-141; 51.8%) and Jackson Tinari '26 (112-for-215; 52.1%). Joe Hurton '27 is a major contributor on the wing as he has team-leading totals in both ground balls (53) and caused turnovers (20) this season.
 
The Cardinals are 2-1 all-time in the NESCAC Tournament against Trinity, but these two sides haven't met in the postseason since 2011 when the Bantams won in Hartford 10-5.