MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Facing a Middlebury team that hadn't lost a game since the 2022 NESCAC Championship, the five-seed Wesleyan women's lacrosse team landed a stunning upset as the Cardinals defeated the top-seed Panthers 13-10 on Saturday in the NESCAC Semifinals from Peter Kohn Field. Wesleyan (13-4) advances to the NESCAC Championship game for the third time in team history, all in the past four seasons, and will face two-seed Tufts on Sunday at 1 PM.
 
Competing against the four-time defending national champions, who came into the game sporting a 67-game win streak, the Cardinals were completely unfazed as a 4-0 second quarter run turned a 4-3 deficit into a lead that Wesleyan wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of play.
 
Sam DeLeo '25 scored twice in the first quarter as the teams traded goals back and forth before Caroline Adams netted a go-ahead goal with 22 seconds left to give Middlebury a 4-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
Wesleyan's 4-0 run began when Izzy Weintraub '26 caused a turnover and sent the team racing up the field before Bridget Horst '26 found DeLeo on the left side for a nifty score to start the scoring run. The Cardinals followed with a free position tally from Kiara Tangney '25 before Mya Waryas '27 found Addie Cummings '26 across the arc for a quick stick goal. Waryas closed the four-goal run with a bouncing player-up marker from the center hash.
 
Middlebury responded with consecutive tallied from Adams and Anna Spehr to cut the deficit down to 7-6 at the break.
 
Wesleyan scored twice in the opening 1:38 of the second half, with Tangney bouncing in a shot from the left pipe before Cummings powered her way through a sea of defenders before unleashing a backhanded shot attempt to make it 9-6.
 
Middlebury scored three of the next four goals to make it a 10-9 game heading into the fourth, but it was Wesleyan who came out strong in the final frame with Tangney scoring twice to extend the lead to 12-9 with 5:46 remaining.
 
Then at the 4:50 mark, Spehr had a great look from the doorstep on the left post, but Weintraub thwarted the effort with an incredible save to keep the three-goal lead intact.
 
Waryas added an insurance goal with Middlebury playing with an empty net, putting Wesleyan ahead 13-9 with just under one minute left. The Panthers scored their first and only goal in the fourth quarter with 28 seconds left, but it was too little too late as the Cardinals celebrated what is the team's first-ever win over Middlebury in 27 attempts.
 
The two sides were level in shots (28-28) while Middlebury won the turnover battle 19-13, but Weintraub was a difference maker in the cage as the junior goalkeeper made seven of her nine saves in the first half to keep her team out in front for most of the game.
 
Wesleyan also finished ahead on draw controls 15-11 for the game including a 6-1 margin in the third quarter alone.
 
Tangney finished with a four-goal game to go along with five draw controls to lead the team in both categories. Waryas and DeLeo each finished with three goals and one assist while Cummings posted two goals and two assists to give Wesleyan four players with four points each.
 
Molly Simon '26 led the defense with three caused turnovers and two ground balls. Wesleyan's defense held Middlebury to their season-low goal total.
 
Wesleyan looks to avenge a 15-4 defeat to the Jumbos in Medford in the regular season as the NESCAC Championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 PM from Peter Kohn Field on the campus of Middlebury.