MEDFORD, Mass. – The four-seed Wesleyan field hockey team couldn't solve an impenetrable Bobcat defense as the Cardinals fell to the three-seed Bates in a 2-0 loss in the NESCAC Championship game on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals (14-4) finish as the 2025 NESCAC Runner-Up and await their NCAA Tournament fate with the Selection Show at 9:00 PM on Sunday.
 
In a game that saw the Cardinals thoroughly dominate in every statistical category, Wesleyan saw their counterparts in Bates take their chances in the first half and then lean on an impressive defense all throughout the second half.
 
Bates struck first more than seven minutes into play as a reverse hit right in front of the Wesleyan bench wasn't dealt with in the circle. The ball fell to Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg who used some crafty stick work to weave around a Cardinal defender and the loft a shot up and over Audrey Pace '26 who came off her line to make a play on the ball.
 
Following that Moloney-Kolenberg goal, Wesleyan held Bates without a shot for the remainder of the first quarter while generating four penalty corners on offense but couldn't find the equalizer.
 
Wesleyan continued to push early in the second quarter, with a quality scoring chance coming just three minutes into the frame. Leila Feldman '28 sent a powerful reverse hit centering pass for Georgia Adams '26 who redirected the ball towards cage, only to see Ava Donohue stick out a foot to turn away the shot.
 
After more than 15 minutes with sustained pressure on offense, Bates netted another goal against the run of play to make it 2-0 late in the second quarter. On a penalty corner, the ball inserted to the top and was swung to the right wing. A pass towards the far post made it through traffic and was put home by Caroline Nowak.
 
Trailing 2-0 at the start of the second half, Wesleyan dominated possession across the remaining 30 minutes, enough so that the Cardinals outshot Bates 17-0 and had eight penalty corners compared to just one for the Bobcats across the final two quarters. Despite the sustained pressure, nothing could get through the Bates defense who incredibly became the first team in NESCAC history to record three shutout wins on their way to a league title.
 
Donohue put on a master class over the second half, denying Emily Smith '29 on a reverse hit with her right foot just three minutes into the third quarter and then with 5:33 left in the third she made a toe save on a Sydney Cameron '26 shot hit with power from the center of the circle.
 
Adams, Smith, Feldman and Meera Patel '29 combined for 24 of the Cardinals' 26 shots in the contest while Pace made two saves in goal.
 
Ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Power Index (NPI), the Cardinals are guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament and will likely be playing on Wednesday night in First Round action from Hicks Field in Middletown.