MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan football team suffered a 24-13 defeat at home to Bates on Saturday afternoon, dropping the Cardinals to 2-1 on the season. The Bobcats pick up their first win of the season, snapping a 17-game losing streak against the Cardinals while this marks the first Bates win over Wesleyan in Middletown since 1981.
 
The Bobcats hit the vaunted Wesleyan defeat with big play touchdowns as Ryan Lynskey took one in from 24 yards out on the ground early in the second quarter and followed with a 59-yard TD run just over seven minutes later that made it 14-3.
 
Coming out of halftime, just as Wesleyan scored on a big play of their own late in the second quarter, Colton Bosselait hit Ryan Gleason on a go route down the far sideline for an 86-yard TD score to put the Bobcats ahead 21-10.
 
And then with 1:55 remaining and a 4^th-and-1 play from the Wesleyan 22-yard line, the Bobcats chose to kick a 38-yard field goal which Marcos Ruiz knocked through the uprights to make it an 11-point game to seal the win.
 
The Cardinal offense drove 69 yards down the field on their first possession, but much like how the remainder of the game played out, they couldn't find the drive with a touchdown as Wesleyan had to settle for a 22-yard Gage Hammond '27 field goal.
 
Then back-to-back fumbles, the first on a muffed punt and second on a QB Niko Candido '25 drop back gave the ball back to Bates who scored on the Lynskey 24-yard carry down the near sideline.
 
Wesleyan again drove down the field on their first series of the second quarter, but the drive stalled out at the Bates 10-yard line and on the field goal attempt, the snap was mishandled, and the Cardinals came away empty on a drive that started on the Bates 43-yard line.
 
After Bates went up 14-3, Candido hit WR Chase Wilson '25, who was left wide open on a post route down the middle of the field and sprinted all the way in for an 87-yard score with 5:06 left before halftime.
 
A pair of 12-play Wesleyan drives came in the third quarter, neither of resulted in points, as the game turned on a 4^th-and-goal play from well inside the 1-yard line. On a rush-pass option, Candido kept the ball and rolled to his left looking for Wilson, but his attempt into the end zone was broken up by Marquez Narvaez-Estrada.
 
On their next possession, Wesleyan again drove into the red zone and looked to have scored a touchdown on a 14-yard pass to Rickey Eng '25 but a holding call along the offensive line erased the score. Hammond managed to hit a 33-yard field goal to make it a one-score game at 21-13 with 9:52 left.
 
Despite not having done much offensively in the second half, Bates mounted a crucial 11-play, 53-yard drive that drained 7:57 minutes off the clock and finished in the Ruiz 38-yarder to seal the win.
 
Candido finished 20-for-40 throwing for 284 yards with 1 TD and 0 INT. RB Tyler Flynn '26 led the ground game with 71 yards on 17 attempts. Seven Cardinal receivers caught at least two passes with Wilson leading the way with 107 yards and 1 TD.
 
DL Jason VIllano '25 led the Cardinal defense with 10 tackles and three tackles for loss. LB Ben Carbeau '25 added nine tackles with 1 TFL.
 
As a team, Wesleyan outgained Bates 379-273 and had 23 first downs compared to just nine for the Bobcats, but the Cardinals were -2 in turnover margin and only came away with two field goals on four red zone opportunities.
 
The Cardinals look to bounce back next week with a trip to Hamilton on Saturday at 1 PM.