BABSON PARK, Mass. – An already historic season for the Wesleyan field hockey team reached new heights on Saturday afternoon as the No. 7 ranked Cardinals defeated No. 12 Hamilton 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals (Elite 8) for the first time in team history. Wesleyan (16-4) takes on host No. 3 Babson on Sunday at 1 PM with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Trying to avenge a 4-1 defeat to the Continentals in Middletown back on September 13, Wesleyan got an early goal from
Leila Feldman '28 in the first quarter and allowed the defense to take over from there as the Cardinals held Hamilton to just three shots in the game including 0 on-goal.
After neither side attempted a shot or drew a penalty corner in the opening 9+ minutes,
Meera Patel '29 found some space inside the Hamilton circle and hit a reverse shot that sailed just wide of the left post.
Then just one minute after Patel's shot,
Emily Smith '29 made something out of nothing as she drew a foul just outside the circle then carried in towards the end line on the right wing with a lot of speed. She then sent a pass to the opposite post for Feldman who beat her defender to the spot, landing a stick on what was a picture-perfect setup from Smith for the goal.
The second quarter saw plenty of action with the Cardinals attempting 11 shots and drawing seven penalty corners, but the Hamilton goalkeeper Kelly Janssen proved up to the task with six saves in the quarter to keep the score at 1-0. Hamilton had a pair of penalty corners but Claire Tratnyek missed the cage on a shot attempt on the first Continental corner and then Isabelle Nahon saw her shot blocked and cleared away by
Kiernan McColgan '26.
The third quarter saw just one shot attempted in the frame, a Becky Felker attempt from distance that went wide left of the cage, as the Cardinals took the 1-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Hamilton had one scoring opportunity in the fourth quarter, a penalty corner with 12:13 remaining, but the Continentals couldn't get a shot off as the Wesleyan defense iced away the game in a stellar showing.
Feldman's goal is her 13
th of the season, tied for fourth-most in the NESCAC, while Smith's assist is her sixth of the year.
This marks the 10
th shutout of the season for Wesleyan, a single-season team record.
Wesleyan heads into a showdown with the Beavers on Sunday. The two sides last met in 2022 in a game that Babson won 1-0 in Middletown.
