MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In a game that had all the drama between two storied rivals, it was No. 12 Amherst who came out on top in a 9-8 triple overtime win over No. 12 Wesleyan on Wednesday night from Smith Field. The Cardinals (6-3, 2-3 NESCAC) lose for the third time this season, all coming by one-goal margins, while the Mammoths (7-2, 3-2 NESCAC) earn their first win over Wesleyan since 2018.
 
Holding an 8-6 lead with under three minutes remaining in regulation, the Cardinals had the Mammoths right where they wanted them but Amherst showed no quite as Bridget Finley scored with 2:21 left to make it a one-goal game. Winning the ensuing draw control, Wesleyan killed off clock before a shot clock violation gave Amherst one last possession to send the game into overtime.
 
With the clock ticking under 10 seconds to play, a late foul with one second left saw Emily Petersen awarded a free position attempt which she delivered on with a game-tying goal as the buzzer sounded, sending the game into overtime.
 
In the first of what was six three-minute periods it took to decide a winner, the Cardinals saw Amherst carded twice, putting Wesleyan two players up on the field. Dylan Green '26 had a free position shot attempt that rung off the post and out to keep the score tied.
 
Wesleyan possessed the ball for the entirety of the third OT session but were unable to find the back of the net on all six shot attempts. The Cardinals had another player-up opportunity in the fourth OT session but Addie Cummings '26 saw her shot denied by Lily Samoska in net. Then on the defensive end, Izzy Weintraub '26 made a game-saving denial of Sofia Guttmann on a free position to extend the game into a fifth session.
 
It was Guttmann who missed high on a free position shot in that fifth OT session but a shot clock violation turned the ball over to the Cardinals who cleared the ball before the horn sounded to keep the game going. In the sixth OT session, Wesleyan won the draw and had a shot right in front from Mya Waryas '27 turned aside by Samoska.
 
Amherst then took control and after Weintraub denied Guttmann once again on a free position, the ball caromed out to Mia Raven who picked up the ground ball. That loose ball meant the defense wasn't set up as Raven found Kate Becker with a pass who slide home the game-winning goal past Weintraub to give the Mammoths a win in an instant classic that lasted nearly three hours.
 
Wesleyan never trailed in this game until the Becker game-winner as Sam DeLeo '25 scored 1:58 into the contest before Wesleyan scored three more times in the first quarter to hold a 4-1 lead. Amherst scored with one second left to end the first quarter and narrowed the margin to one goal early in the second, but the Cardinals responded with two Elle Priesing '26 goals to make it 6-3 Wesleyan at halftime.
 
The Mammoths fought back, outscoring Wesleyan 3-1 in the third quarter, closing the deficit to 7-6 at the start of the fourth. Green put in a free position goal early in the fourth to restore a two-goal advantage but that was the final Cardinal goal scored on the night as Amherst scored three unanswered to win.
 
Wesleyan held a 33-28 advantage in shots including a 11-5 margin in the nearly 18 minutes of combined overtime periods. Wesleyan also won the ground ball battle 33-25 but Amherst held a 15-9 edge in draw controls including a streak of 12 straight draw control wins in regulation.
 
DeLeo scored or assisted on half of Wesleyan's eight goals, as the senior attack finished with two goals and two assists with three ground balls. Becca Dibble '25 had one goal and two assists while Priesing scored twice and had four ground balls and Bridget Horst '26 had one goal and one assist.
 
Leading the defensive effort was Lindsey Diomede '26 with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Madeline Johnson '28 had three caused turnovers and Maeve Olson '25 had four ground balls.
 
Weintraub made 10 saves as she recorded her second 10+ save game of the season in nearly 78 minutes of action.
 
Wesleyan looks to rebound on Saturday with a trip to face No. 2 Tufts in Medford at 12 PM.