MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – After completing what is arguably the best regular season in team history, the No. 2 seed and No. 3 nationally ranked Wesleyan women's lacrosse team heads into NESCAC Tournament play where they open with a home Quarterfinal game against No. 7 seed Bowdoin and No. 24 ranked Bowdoin on Saturday at Noon from Smith Field.
 
This is the 13^th all-time appearance in the NESCAC Tournament for Wesleyan and the seventh straight season the Cardinals have earned a postseason bid. Saturday marks the fourth straight NESCAC Tournament wherein Wesleyan is hosting a quarterfinal game. Wesleyan has matched its highest seed in program history at No. 2, an achievement the team also accomplished last season.
 
There are few teams in the nation running as hot as the Cardinals are now as Wesleyan (13-2, 8-2 NESCAC) is riding a team record eight-game winning streak heading into Saturday. Among the high points in that eight-game streak are five wins over nationally ranked teams including signature victories over then-No. 3 ranked Tufts 17-15 and then-No. 2 ranked William Smith 13-10, with both those landmark wins coming at home.
 
Looking at the 2024 regular season as a whole, the Cardinals have three wins over Top 5 ranked teams, as Wesleyan also defeated then-No. 5 Salisbury 13-7 on the road back on March 10. The only defeats for Wesleyan in 2024 came in the season opener back on March 2 in a 10-8 loss to then-No. 9 Colby in Middletown and a 12-10 loss to three-time defending NCAA Champion and No. 1 Middlebury in Vermont in a game the Cardinals led midway through the fourth quarter.
 
Wesleyan employs a well-rounded team that ranks third in the NESCAC in scoring at 14 goals per game while the defense is fourth-best in the league at 8.67 goals allowed per game. The Cardinals also rank second in the NESCAC in ground balls (21.3) and caused turnovers (11.0) per game and third in draw controls per game (14.3).
 
Laura Baine '24, who heads into the playoffs sitting third all-time at Wesleyan in career points, is enjoying a career year with 62 points (39 goals, 23 assists) in 15 games. She earned IWLCA National D3 Offensive Player of the Week honors following a week wherein she exploded for seven points (four goals, three assists) in a 17-8 win at Amherst before scoring a career-high five goals in the signature win over Tufts at home.
 
Two-time All-American Olivia Lai '23 is back again, scoring goals in batches for the Cardinals as she has a team-leading 44 scores in 15 games. Lai ranks third all-time at Wesleyan with 150 career goals while her shooting percentage (.595) this season is a career-best for the graduate attack. Lai has scored at least one goal in all 15 games this season, 11 of which are multi-goal performances.
 
Depth follows the two star point producers for the Cardinals as a group of eight all have double-digit point totals on the season. Molly Greer '24 has 19 goals and seven assists to go along with 17 caused turnovers at midfield. Sam DeLeo '25 is enjoying a breakout junior season with 16 goals and nine assists with 22 ground balls on attack. Kiara Tangney '25 produces all over the field with 18 goals, five assists, 29 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers, and 39 draw controls. Becca Dibble '26 has 12 goals and 11 assists, ranking second on the team in assists, in her first season as a full-time starter.
 
Bridget Horst '26 sits third in the NESCAC in draw controls per game (5.3) as she has 80 on the season to go along with 12 goals and four assists. Dylan Green '26 has 11 goals and five assists while Lindsey Diomede '26 (eight goals, three assists) and Brooke Nelson '24 (10 goals, one assist) have 11 points each.
 
Izzy Weintraub '26 has enjoyed a stellar season in her first year as the full-time starter, currently sporting a 8.51 goals against average with a .453 save percentage and 6.13 saves per game. Among the NESCAC goalkeepers who've played 600+ minutes and have qualified for NESCAC Tournament play, Weintraub ranks first in save perctenage and second in both goals against average and saves per game. She earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors following her 11-save outing in the 13-7 win over Salisbury.
 
The defense is led by a trio of Maeve Olson '25, Molly Simon '26, and Lilly Stoller '26 who have started all 15 games this season. Olson leads the pack with 22 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers while Simon has 19 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. Stoller ranks first among defenders on the team with 18 caused turnovers to go along with 17 ground balls.
 
Wesleyan opens with a quarterfinal showdown against Bowdoin, who the Cardinals just defeated last Saturday in a 12-7 victory in Brunswick. Weintraub was at her best in that one, making nine saves with just two goals allowed in 45 minutes of action as the Cardinals went on an 8-1 run to start the game and led 12-3 early in the fourth quarter. Baine totaled three goals and three assists while Green finished with one goal and three assists.