MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – It was one-way traffic on Wednesday night as the No. 7 ranked Wesleyan field hockey team dominated Marywood in a 7-0 win in NCAA Tournament First Round action from Hicks Field. Wesleyan (15-4) advances to the NCAA Second Round for the second straight season and will face Hamilton on Saturday in a game that'll be played at Babson.
 
Six different Cardinals scored a goal while Wesleyan outshot Marywood 39-0 in a game the hosts controlled throughout. Meera Patel '29 posted the lone multi-goal game for Wesleyan, finishing with two goals and one assist, while Natalie Shaw '28 and Kate Francini '29 each scored their first career goals in the fourth quarter. Kenzie Mauro '27 and Leila Feldman '28 both posted one goal and one assist and Georgia Adams '26 dished out two assists.
 
Even with the dominant scoreline, Marywood's goalkeeper Bre Marchiano made the Cardinals work as the first-year goalie made 10 straight saves in the first quarter, keeping Wesleyan scoreless for the opening 15 minutes. Marchiano made several toe saves, including denials on Emily Smith '29 and Patel to keep the Pacers in the game.
 
All that pressure paid off as Wesleyan opened the scoring with a Smith goal just 44 seconds into the second quarter. Francini dribbled the ball down towards the end line before centering towards Smith who took advantage of a failed clearance and deposited the goal inside the right post.
 
The Cardinals added another six minutes later as Feldman fired a ball towards the left post off a penalty corner and Mauro redirected the ball towards cage where it hit off the post. The loose ball fell right in front and Mauro alertly got her stick on the ball first to slide home her second goal of the season.
 
Sydney Cameron '26 made something out of nothing when she intercepted a pass from deep in the Marywood defensive end. She dribbled just outside the circle before crossing to Patel who reverse hit a shot up and over Marchiano to make it 3-0 before halftime.
 
Wesleyan worked a great team goal less than three minutes into the third quarter as five Cardinals touched the ball in the Marywood defensive end before Feldman swept home a goal at the left post. Patel received the ball with her back to goal at the center of the circle before turning and sending a pass towards the left post for Feldman who hit home her team-leading 12^th goal of the year.
 
Just under two minutes later the Cardinals made it 5-0 as Mauro reverse hit a ball towards traffic in front off a penalty corner. The ball found the stick of Patel and was redirected towards the right post and in, giving the first-year forward her second goal of the night and eighth of the season.
 
Francini and Shaw both scored for the first time in their respective careers late in the fourth quarter. Francini received a pass from Adams right in front of goal and calmly spun with the ball on her stick before scoring on an open goal inside the left post. Shaw received a pass on the left wing on a penalty corner and fired a ball that was deflected by a Marywood defender bar down to cap the scoring in the 7-0 win.
 
Wesleyan advances to the Second Round (Sweet 16) on Saturday where they will take on a Hamilton team that beat the Cardinals 4-1 in Middletown back on September 13. The winner of that game advances to face the winner of Babson vs. Bowdoin on Sunday.