MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The No. 12 ranked Wesleyan field hockey team scored early and often as the Cardinals led 3-0 just eight minutes into play, ultimately going on to defeat Western New England 8-1 on Tuesday night from Hicks Field. Wesleyan (8-5) gets back in the win column in their final regular season home game of 2026 while the Golden Bears (9-6) lose for just the third time in eight road games this season.
Six players scored for Wesleyan including two-goal games for
Emily Smith '29 and
Sarah Porter '27. For both Smith and Porter, this marked their first multi-goal game of the year, while Smith records her third career two-goal game and this is the second of Porter's career. Smith added two assists to give her a career-high six-point night while both
Natalie Shaw '28 and
Leila Feldman '28 tallied one goal and one assist.
Facing a WNE squad playing without leading scorer Mikayla Mrzywka (17 goals in 14 games this season), the Golden Bears were up against it, and the Cardinals didn't take long to set the tone for the evening. On the first penalty corner,
Natalie Shaw '28 inserted to
Brooke Miner '28 on the wing who fired a shot that hit a WNE player in front, deflecting in for the opening goal just 1:50 into play.
Smith made it 2-0 just three minutes later as Miner lofted a pass past a couple of WNE defenders to Smith who had time to dribble into the circle. With the ball on her left, Smith swept a shot that deflected off a Golden Bear defender's stick and in for the goal.
The goal-scoring barrage in the first quarter continued another three minutes later when
Emilia Napolitano '29 received a pass from Miner and worked the ball to the outer edge of the circle. Napolitano hit Smith with a pass streaking into the circle who passed to the far post where
Leila Feldman '28 knocked in a third first quarter goal for Wesleyan.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as Smith received the ball just over midfield and used her speed to carry into the WNE defensive circle. Instead of goaling for goal herself, Smith unselfishly passed to the far post for
Sarah Gorman '27. The pass was initially blocked by a WNE defender, but Porter had made a good run past her defender and was there to knock in the loose ball.
Smith continued to make things happen, lofting a pass just inches from the end line to the opposite post where Gorman got a stick on the ball out of midair. The Gorman shot was blocked off the goal line by Olivia Lugo but
Bridget FitzGerald '30 was in the right place at the right time to sweep home the goal to make it 5-0 Wesleyan at halftime.
The Cardinals scored twice in the opening 3+ minutes of the second half, the first came on a deflected corner as Shaw inserted to the top and the deflected in a well-struck ball from Feldman at the left post. Smith then scored her second of the night, working the ball upfield to
Teddy Tolbert '28 who possessed at the top of the circle with her back to goal. Smith, who had fed Tolbert with the pass into the circle, continued on her run and buried home the goal.
WNE broke up the shutout bid on a penalty corner as Kamryn Miller got her stick on a Analise Trani pass towards traffic in front of cage. The ball took a big deflection in the air, up over all the Wesleyan field players, and into the back of the cage.
Wesleyan added an eighth goal in the final minute of play as
Kayla Kim '29 worked the ball into the circle along the end line before centering to Porter who got swept in her second goal of the night.
Shots favored Wesleyan 23-5 (15-2 in shots on goal) while the Cardinals generated seven penalty corners to two for the Golden Bears.
Six Cardinals scored at least once while nine different players had at least one point. Kim's assist is her first career point while all three goalkeepers and every available (non-injured) field player for Wesleyan got into the game.
Wesleyan heads into a big Saturday afternoon showdown at No. 14 Amherst in a clash between two teams looking to secure a spot into the NESCAC Tournament.
