MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Any concerns from the frigid temperatures and emotions playing on Senior Day were put to rest right away, as the No. 7 Wesleyan men's lacrosse team scored five unanswered goals in the opening six minutes to establish a lead they would never relinquish in a 17-13 win over Hamilton on Saturday afternoon from Citrin Field. Wesleyan (8-3, 6-2 NESCAC) improves to 15-0 all-time against the Continentals (5-7, 3-6 NESCAC) and keeps the Cardinals in the mix for a playoff home game in a few weeks.
 
It took 3:40 minutes into the game for Hamilton's offense to touch the ball as the Cardinals won the first four faceoffs and scored on each possession. Tyler Campbell '25 went right to work, winning all four faceoffs, while four different Cardinal goal scorers put the Continentals on their heels in the early going as Wesleyan managed to get to Hamilton goalkeeper Jack Fried who came into the game with the best save percentage of any goalkeeper in the NESCAC.
 
The Continentals could not cash in on their first offensive possession, meanwhile the Cardinals made it a perfect 5-for-5 with Ben Burns '26 scoring again to give Wesleyan a 5-0 lead just 5:57 into play. Jack Raba '23, G'25 and CK Giancola '24, G'25 each scored their second goals before the end of the quarter which saw Wesleyan take a 7-1 lead into the second.
 
Despite the teams playing in near freezing temperatures, both offenses produced at an elite clip in the second and third quarters and each team scored nines times over the next 30 minutes of play for 18 goals in total. James Bailey '26 and Gavin Lechner '27 scored for the first time in the game just 44 seconds apart in the second quarter. Giancola then completed a first half hat trick before Nolan Samson '27 scored his first of the season to give Wesleyan their largest lead of the game at 12-4.
 
Hamilton managed to work their way back into the contest, scoring five of the next seven goals to cut the deficit down to 14-9 with 5:40 left in the third quarter. Even though the Continentals found some success on offense, Fried and the defense couldn't contain the Cardinal offense that kept finding an answer when they needed it the most. Raba, who leads the NESCAC in assists per game, had a nose for goal in this one as he completed his first hat trick of the season with a late goal in the third quarter to give Wesleyan a 15-10 lead heading into the fourth.
 
The Continentals scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter, making it a 16-12 game with 9:57 remaining, but Conor Selfridge '26 came up with a big save on Thomas Healy on the next possession and after Joe Hurton '27 forced a turnover, Giancola's fifth goal of the game restored a five-goal lead which put the game on ice down the stretch.
 
Selfridge outplayed Fried in cage, as the Wesleyan goalkeeper made 11 saves with 12 goals allowed before Sam Jewett '25 entered in the final two minutes and made two saves. Prior to today's game, Fried had at least a .500 save percentage in all 10 starts but the 2024 All-American made just seven saves with 17 goals allowed in this one.
 
Raba tied his career-high with eight points including three goals and five assists to go along with three ground balls. Giancola had a five-goal game, his fourth 5+ goal game in the 2025 season. Bailey finished with one goal and four assists for five points.
 
Burns made some history as the junior attackman, who recorded three goals and two assists this afternoon, became the 16^th player in team history to score 100 career goals.
 
Campbell went 17-for-23 on faceoffs in this one, tied for his second-most wins in a single-game across his four-year career.
 
Wesleyan closes out the regular season with a three-game road swing, starting with a non-conference tilt at Springfield on Wednesday at 7 PM.