Wesleyan University

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Back in the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season, the No. 11 ranked Wesleyan field hockey team took an early lead and netted six goals in the second half to land a convincing 8-1 win over SUNY Geneseo in the First Round on Wednesday night from Hicks Field.
 
Wesleyan (11-6) improves to 3-0 all-time in the NCAA First Round and will face a familiar foe in No. 9 Hamilton on Saturday in the Second Round at Middlebury. The three-time defending Empire 8 Champions Geneseo (16-4) see their season come to an end.
 
After defeating Ithaca 2-0 in the Cardinals' first-ever NCAA Tournament game back in 2024, the Cardinals have landed 7-goal wins in each of the past two seasons in the NCAA First Round. Wesleyan toppled Marywood 7-0 last season on Hicks Field and were equally as dominant on Wednesday night in their 8-1 win.

The first quarter saw the Cardinals outshoot the Knights 6-0 in a one-sided period. The Wesleyan press paid dividends midway through the frame when Leila Feldman '28 forced a turnover deep in the Geneseo defensive end. Feldman stole the ball off the left back, dribbled into the circle, and had a centering pass deflect off a defender and the Geneseo goalkeeper before Emily Smith '29 knocked in the opening goal.
 
Nearly 20 minutes later, Smith picked the ball up just over midfield and dribbled past three Geneseo defenders before drawing a penalty corner on a shot deep inside the circle. The insert came to the stick stop Brooke Miner '28, who laid the ball off for Feldman. Feldman's powerful strike was initially saved but the ball deflected high in the air and Sarah Porter '27 managed to get a stick on the volley, getting enough on her shot to score her third of the season.
 
The Knights had a big opportunity to make it a one-goal game at the half as Aubree Wenner got in behind the Wesleyan defense with just over a minute left in the second quarter. Taking a few dribbles into the circle, Wenner had just Keira O'Flynn '29 to beat and Wenner's shot whizzed by the left post as the score remained 2-0 Wesleyan at the break.
 
Another early quarter goal stretched Wesleyan's lead as Feldman fired a centering pass towards traffic right in front of cage. Smith got a stick on the pass, nudging the ball towards the far post where Porter was waiting to pounce on the loose ball for her second goal of the night.
 
Just over three minutes later, another penalty corner goal for Wesleyan saw the ball eventually find the stick of Feldman after a couple of passes around the circle. Feldman wound up for a strike towards the far post and Emma Tovar '30 had her stick on the turf to re-direct in her first career goal, making it 4-0 Cardinals.
 
Geneseo pulled one goal back, as Ella Greico swept in her 23^rd goal of the season right in front of cage, as the Knights took advantage of a failed clear attempt from Wesleyan on a Geneseo penalty corner.
 
Unfazed by the goal, a Wesleyan penalty corner saw a would-be goal from Feldman knocked aside by the foot of a Geneseo defender. Whistling for a penalty stroke, Miner stepped to the spot and nailed another goal, as the junior midfielder improved to 6-for-6 on penalty strokes this season.
 
Taking a four-goal lead into the fourth quarter, Wesleyan showed no sign of slowing down as the Cardinals scored three more in the final stanza. However, not before Caroline Chung '28 made a stop on Greico as the junior goalkeeper stuck out the pad on her left arm to deny Greico on a penalty stroke attempt to keep the 5-1 lead intact.
 
Not long after the Chung penalty stroke denial, Smith sent a backhand pass to Izzy Ounjian '30 deep in the circle. Ounjian took a few dribbles to the center of the circle before firing a shot inside the left post to make it 6-1.
 
Wesleyan scored for the fourth time off a penalty corner a few minutes later as Marley Procopio '29 took the insert from Miner and dribbled to her right. Procopio eventually lined up a shot just inside the circle that was hit with power and precision, going inside the left post for her second goal of the year.
 
Smith showed off her incredible dribbling once again to complete the scoring, taking a pass after a restart then dribbling into the circle where she coasted past a couple of defenders before sliding in a goal inside the right post.
 
With her two assists tonight, Smith broke the Wesleyan field hockey single-season assists record, as she brings her season total up to 15 assists on the year. Smith's 15 assists tops Carlin Aloe's 14-assist season from the 2000 campaign, breaking a record that had stood for 25 years.
 
Smith finished with two goals and two assists for a six-point night. This is Smith's fifth game this year with 5+ points as she had 10 goals and 15 assists through 17 games this season. Porter registered her third career two-goal game while Feldman recorded her first career three-assist game. Miner totaled one goal and one assist.
 
Wesleyan outshot Geneseo 26-6 (19-3 in shots on goal) while the Cardinals held a 15-1 advantage in penalty corners.
 
Next up for the Cardinals is a showdown with No. 9 Hamilton on Saturday in the NCAA Second Round. The Continentals defeated the Cardinals 2-1 in overtime in Clinton back on October 3 in the regular season meeting this season. Wesleyan ended Hamilton's season in the NCAA Second Round a year ago, as the Cardinals defeated the Continentals 1-0 at Babson.