MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – For the just the second time in team history, and first since 2017, the Wesleyan men's lacrosse team is playing host to the NESCAC semifinal round and championship game. The two-seed Wesleyan (13-3) will face off against the eight-seed Hamilton (9-6) on Saturday at Noon from Jackson Field. The other semifinal game pits three-seed Bowdoin (11-4) against four-seed Middlebury (9-7) at 3 PM, also on Jackson Field. The two semifinal winners will face off in the NESCAC Championship game on Sunday at Noon.
 
A year removed from a disappointing 2023 season that saw the Cardinals go 8-7 (4-6 NESCAC) and miss the NESCAC Tournament for just the second time in team history, and first since 2002, Wesleyan responded with 12 regular season victories, their highest single-season total since 2019. Fresh off a 18-10 NESCAC Quarterfinal win over seven-seed Trinity last Saturday, the Cardinals battle the Continentals who stunned top-seeded Tufts in a 14-13 OT victory in Medford in the quarterfinal round.
 
Facing a Trinity team that had beaten the Cardinals in their two prior meetings, including a 10-9 OT thriller in Hartford on April 10, Wesleyan exacted some revenge in the 18-10 postseason win over the Bantams last weekend. Trailing 9-8 at the half, the Cardinals outscored Trinity 7-0 in the 3^rd quarter and 10-1 in the second half to ease past their in-state rivals. CK Giancola '24 tied a team and NESCAC Tournament record with eight goals in the win, while Justin Hazard '23 finished with seven points (3G, 4A).
 
The Continentals are coming off a stunning upset of the Jumbos as these two teams are set to meet in the postseason for the first time in the series history. Wesleyan is 13-0 all-time against Hamilton, including a 17-7 triumph in Clinton back on April 13 in a game the Cardinals led wire-to-wire. In that 10-goal win, the Cardinals nearly doubled-up Hamilton in shots (56-32) while Giancola produced a six-point game (5G, 1A) and goalkeeper Conor Selfridge '26 made 12 saves with a season-low six goals allowed.
 
Offense has been the calling card for the Cardinals all season, with Wesleyan sporting a Top 10 scoring offense in the nation at 17.31 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 (11.44), eighth in man-up offense (.500), and the Cardinals commit the fewest turnovers (13.9) in the nation.
 
With all the scoring numbers ranking among the nation's best, the Cardinals employ a balanced attack with six players who have 45+ points while nine have at least 20 points on the season. First Team All-NESCAC attack Jack Raba '23 headlines a group that features four players with 100+ career points as the graduate attack has a team-leading 64 points (19G, 45A) in 14 games played this season. Raba's 45 assists are second-most in the NESCAC while he sits third in the league in points per game (4.57).
 
Ben Burns '26 is a Second Team All-NESCAC pick after elevating his play this season, blossoming from a man-up specialist in 2023 to one of the most-dangerous attackman in the conference in 2024. After scoring 13 goals as a freshman, 11 of which came on the man-up, Burns has a team-leading 48 goals in 2024 with only three coming on the EMO. Burns' 3.0 goals per game average is fourth-best in the NESCAC while he also sits third on the team in both ground balls (37) and caused turnovers (17).
 
Wesleyan has a pair of All-NESCAC First Team midfielders for the first time in team history in CK Giancola '24 and DJ Dixon '24. Giancola has 46 goals and eight assists for 54 points, which is already a single-season career-high. He leads the team with 143 shots and leads the NESCAC in man-up goals with eight. Dixon has 31 goals and 15 assists for his third straight 30-goal, 45-point season for the Cardinals, earning his second career All-NESCAC First Team honor.
 
More production on offense comes from Justin Hazard '23 who has 32 goals and 20 assists for 52 points while his 189 career points are the most among active players on the team. James Bailey '26 is an effective playmaker at midfield as he's produced 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points in his first season as a full-time starter.
 
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 7-1 in his eight starts. Selfridge has 10+ saves in seven of those starts, with the one single-digit outing coming in a lobsided win over Springfield where he faced just nine shots on-goal. Selfridge has a save percentage of at least 50 percent in six of his eight starts. For the season, he ranks second in the NESCAC in goals against average (9.98).
 
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 36 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers in his first season as a full-time starter. Silver has 20 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers while Cohen racked up 20 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.
 
The faceoff group features a duo of Tyler Campbell '25 (83-for-160; 51.9%) and Jackson Tinari '26 (116-for-225; 51.6%). Joe Hurton '27 is a major contributor on the wing as he has team-leading totals in both ground balls (54) and caused turnovers (21) this season.