MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – A 5-0 first half run, wherein the Cardinals held Hamilton to just two goals before halftime and scoreless for 19+ minutes, proved more than enough for the two-seed Wesleyan men's lacrosse team in a 12-6 win over the eight-seeded Hamilton Continentals on Saturday in the NESCAC Semifinal round. Wesleyan (14-3) will play for the NESCAC title for the ninth time in team history, and first since 2018, against the four-seed Middlebury (10-7) on Sunday at Noon on Jackson Field.
 
In a thoroughly dominant defensive display that saw the Cardinals set a new season-low for goals allowed, Wesleyan controlled play and saw Hamilton commit nearly twice as many turnovers (12) as the Continentals had shot attempts (seven) in the first half.
 
Even with the lobsided shot total in the first half (22-7) and for the game (44-29), the Cardinals were made to work on offense as Hamilton's goalkeeper Jack Fried kept the game within reach for most of play as the junior finished with 14 saves, including a pair of highlight-reel stops from shots right in front of cage.
 
Fried's brilliance wasn't enough, however, as CK Giancola '24 and Ben Burns '26 finished with four goals each, as the duo scored two more goals than the entire Hamilton roster on the day. For Giancola, he now has 12 goals in two NESCAC Tournament games after he tied the NESCAC Tournament record with eight last Saturday in the Quarterfinal win over Trinity. For Burns, this is his seventh game with 4+ goals in 2024 while he has hat tricks in three straight contests and a team-leading 52 goals on the season.
 
Both sides had trouble finding holes in the opposing defense as no goals were scored for the opening 8+ minutes, until Will Heher broke the deadlock for Hamilton with the game's first goal. Wesleyan responded on their next possession, with Burns netting his first on the day, and minutes later it was James Bailey '26 who made it 2-1 Wesleyan before the end of the first quarter.
 
Hamilton's scoreless streak extended deep into the second quarter, as the Cardinals took advantage with three unanswered goals to start the period, extending their run to 5-0 from the end of the first. The Continentals found the back of the net for the first time in 19+ minutes to make it 5-2 but a stunning behind-the-back goal with just eight seconds left before halftime gave the ravenous home one last thunderous roar before halftime.
 
Christian Byrne closed the gap to 6-3 early in the third quarter, however that was as close as Hamilton would get for the remainder of play as goals came on back-to-back offensive possessions for the Cardinals to make it 8-3.
 
On the first man-up possession of the contest for either team, Burns made a shifty move, faking a shot and side-stepping his way into an open look as the Cardinals led 9-4 heading into the fourth.
 
Burns netted another goal on the first possession of the fourth, making it 10-4, and despite a Hamilton goal just under two minutes later, nearly five minutes came and went before Justin Hazard '23 put away his first goal of the day that made it 11-5 Wesleyan with 6:54 remaining.
 
As the clock became more of a factor, and the Cardinals leading by five, Giancola finished off a series of passes with Fried coming out of his net trying to force a turnover, as the fourth goal of the game for Giancola iced away a 12-6 decision for Wesleyan.
 
One week removed from a seven-point effort in the Quarterfinal win over the Bantams, Hazard went for six points (1G, 5A) to lead the way for the Cardinals on attack. Giancola (4G, 1A) added five points while Burns (4G) and Jack Raba '23 (1G, 3A) both totaled four.
 
The face off duo of Jackson Tinari '26 (9-for-13) and Tyler Campbell (6-for-9) dominated for the Cardinals who combined to go 15-for-22 on the day. Conor Selfridge '26 was solid in net, making seven saves with just six goals allowed to move his record to 8-1 on the season.
 
Awaiting the Cardinals in the Championship game is Middlebury, who Wesleyan has faced in the NESCAC title game five times (2004-07, 2017). The Panthers dominated play in the regular season meeting, landing a 15-8 win over the Cardinals on March 30.