HOBOKEN, N.J. – Trailing 7-2 late in the second quarter, the No. 6 ranked Wesleyan men's lacrosse team came storming back, outscoring No. 13 Stevens 10-3 in the final 32+ minutes to land a 12-10 road win on Wednesday night. The Cardinals (4-1) avenge a 16-10 home loss to the Ducks (5-2) from last season and land their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
 
After playing to a 2-2 deadlock in the first quarter, Stevens came out swinging in the second quarter with five unanswered goals including three in a span of just two minutes late in the period that turned a 4-2 lead into a 7-2 advantage for the hosts. Wesleyan called timeout and on the ensuing faceoff, Jackson Penn for the Ducks won it cleanly and carried in before shooting on-goal that Conor Selfridge '26 turned away.
 
That Selfridge stop, one of his nine saves in the first half alone, loomed large as the Cardinals cleared and scored on the ensuing offensive possession with Will Miller '26 getting loose for an unassisted tally. Tyler Campbell '25 won the next faceoff and again, the Cardinals cashed in on offense with James Bailey '26 scoring. Now with some momentum, Campbell kept the streak going with another faceoff win which led to Gavin Lechner '27 scoring for the second time in the first half to make it 7-5. Selfridge came up big again before halftime, turning aside two more shots-on-goal from the Ducks in the final 20 seconds as Wesleyan trailed by just two at halftime.
 
Stevens scored first in the second half, upping their lead to 8-5, but four more unanswered goals from Wesleyan in just over five minutes gave the Cardinals their first lead since midway through the first quarter. Lechner completed his first career hat trick while Bailey scored again and Miller completed the run with consecutive goals.
 
The Ducks got one back before the end of the third quarter, making it 9-9 entering the fourth. In that decisive fourth quarter, Wesleyan's defense came up huge as the Ducks committed nearly twice as many turnovers (seven) than attempted shots (four). Stevens started the fourth quarter with six straight possessions ending in a turnover, while Wesleyan took full advantage as CK Giancola '24, G'25 scored 1:10 into the period to put Wesleyan ahead.
 
More than five minutes later, it was Miller scoring his fourth of the game with 8:18 remaining to make it a two-goal margin. Selfridge had two big saves on the next Stevens possession and a few minutes later, Giancola had an unassisted insurance tally to make it 12-9 Cardinals with 3:16 left.
 
The Ducks scored 35 seconds later and had a shot at the 2:13 mark that would've made it a one-goal game but Selfridge was there once again, making his 13^th save of the game. Wesleyan, however, turned the ball over on their next possession and Stevens had another chance to stay in the game but a costly turnover on their clearance attempt sealed the comeback win for Wesleyan.
 
Wesleyan outshot Stevens 39-34 for the game and 23-14 in the second half. Stevens had 17 turnovers for the game, 12 of which were made in the second half.
 
Miller had his second four-goal game of the season, matching his career-high, while three of his goals came in the second half. Giancola scored both his goals in the fourth quarter while he added two assists for a four-point game. Jack Raba '23, G'25 had three assists while Lechner registered his first career hat trick and Bailey had two goals and one assist.
 
Selfridge made 13 saves as the junior recorded another win, improving to 4-1 on the season. Through five starts in 2025, Selfridge has made 13+ saves three times.
 
Wesleyan is back on the road for a Saturday afternoon NESCAC tilt at Bates which begins at 1 PM.