MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The No. 2 ranked Wesleyan women's lacrosse team trailed by three to start the fourth quarter and nearly came back, but two late Colby goals sealed a 7-5 win for the Mules on a rain-soaked Saturday afternoon from Smith Field in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 13 Colby (13-6) advances to the NCAA Quarterfinal while the Cardinals (16-4) see their 2024 campaign come to an end.
 
In a contest dominated by the two defenses, with both goalkeepers combining for 24 saves in the hotly contested tournament game between two NESCAC rivals, it was the first half play of Colby's Sarah Hearns that loomed large in the outcome. Hearns stood on her head throughout the contest, but particularly in the first half where she made six saves in the first quarter and made four more in the second, giving her 10 stops at halftime.
 
Wesleyan controlled possession throughout the first half, generating a 10-3 shot advantage in the first quarter and 20-10 in the first half, while also winning the turnover battle 8-4, but could only get two goals past Hearns as Colby led 4-2 at the break.
 
The tone was set right from the onset as Hearns denied Dylan Green '26 on a free position shot on the first Cardinal possession of the game and then made three saves all coming on the next Wesleyan possession a few minutes later.
 
With the score tied 1-1 entering the second, Hearns and Izzy Weintraub '26 continued to trade saves all throughout the second quarter, with each goalkeeper making four saves in the frame. Just after Lindsey Diomede '26 scored on a player-up with just 1:32 left before halftime to tie the score at 2-2, the Mules suddenly had a two-goal spurt in the final minute as a tie game became a 4-2 Mule advantage at half.
 
Turnovers plagued both sides in the third quarter, as Wesleyan committed eight while the Mules had seven. The two sides generated just seven total shot attempts with no goals scored as it remained a 4-2 Colby lead after three.
 
Colby then scored on their first possession of the fourth, making it 5-2 with 14:09 to play. With time running out, the Cardinals turned the game around with a 3-0 run in a span of just 3:45 to tie the score midway through the quarter. Laura Baine '24 started the run with a goal off a pass from Elle Priesing '26 on a free position attempt. Green put home a free position shot a few minutes later and Becca Dibble '26 netted a goal off a feed from Baine just 1:13 later.
 
The Cardinals won the ensuing draw and with a chance to take the lead, Baine saw her shot attempt saved by Hearns and the Mules took full advantage and pinged passes around before Julia Maimonis eventually found Cami McDonald open in front for the go-ahead goal. Ainsley Dion secured the draw for Colby and less than a minute later, Kins Helmer put home a crucial insurance marker to make it 7-5 Colby with 3:38 left.
 
Wesleyan got the ball back three separate times in the final two minutes of regulation, but all three possessions ended in turnovers and Colby secured a fifth straight win over the Cardinals dating back to 2021.
 
Weintraub was outstanding in cage, making 11 saves including several from close range to keep her team in the contest, but Hearns' 13 saves was the difference in the final outcome.
 
Baine led the Cardinals with two goals and one assist for three points while Sam DeLeo '25 had two assists and three ground balls. Olivia Lai '23, G'24, Green, Weintraub, and Molly Simon '26 each finished with two caused turnovers.
 
The Cardinals graduate several big-time producers on offense including Baine who finished her senior year with 82 points (51 goals, 31 assists), which is the second-most by a Cardinal in team history, while she reached 200 career points in the contest to become just the second Cardinal to reach the milestone.
 
Lai finishes her career with 162 goals, putting her second on the all-time goal scoring list at Wesleyan while her 182 career points is fourth-most all-time at Wesleyan.