MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – A dominant first half that saw No. 2 Bowdoin lead by as many as seven goals put the game too far out of reach for the No. 13 Wesleyan men's lacrosse team who cut the deficit down to three goals in the fourth quarter before ultimately falling by a score of 17-12. Wesleyan (5-2, 1-2 NESCAC) sees their five-game winning run come to an end while the Polar Bears (6-0, 4-0 NESCAC) sit atop the league standings.
Having to deal with a pair of attackers from Bowdoin (Casey Ryan and Chris Berry), who each came into Saturday's game with at least 34 points in just five games this season, Wesleyan had their hands full defensively and the Polar Bears had everything working in the first quarter. Ryan and Berry combined for the opening goal and Bowdoin went on to score four more times in the opening frame, including two on the man-up, to lead 5-1 after one.
It was 7-3 Bowdoin late in the second quarter before the Polar Bears added three more unanswered goals, including a pole goal from Alex Byrne, that made it 10-3 for the biggest Bowdoin lead of the contest.
Griffyn Flood '29 scored on the man-up with 22 seconds left before halftime, trying to flip momentum, and then the game took another turn midway through the third quarter when the Cardinals scored three unanswered goals in a span of less than two minutes to lower the deficit to 11-7. Wesleyan midfielders
Matt Morrow '27,
James Bailey '26, and
Will Miller '26 each scored in the Cardinal run.
Bowdoin led 12-8 entering the fourth quarter and dealt a big blow to Wesleyan's comeback bid as Cam Wietfeldt won the opening faceoff clean and stormed in for a goal just seven seconds into the period. It was still a four-goal margin when Byrne picked up a ground ball on a faceoff win and went nearly the full length of the field before scoring another pole goal.
Wesleyan made it interesting down the stretch as
Tyler Vitale '29 and Flood both scored to make it 15-12 Polar Bears with less than four minutes left, but for a third time in the game, another Bowdoin pole goal put the score out of reach as Luke Bernasek scored on an end-to-end carry.
The Cardinals held a convincing 55-41 edge in shots but Bowdoin had more shots on goal (28-24) in the game. Wesleyan also won the turnover battle, committing 12 compared to 16 for the Polar Bears, but Bowdoin held the advantage in ground balls (45-33) and faceoff wins (19-14).
Miller netted a hat trick for the Cardinals while Flood finished with three points (two goals, one assist) and
Thomas Girimonti '28 had one goal and two assists.
Charlie Hill '28 posted four ground balls, three caused turnovers, and one assist to lead the defense.
Jack Doherty '28 went 8-for-16 on faceoffs to lead that unit.
Wesleyan has a full week to prepare for their next contest, a trip to Hamilton on Saturday for a 1 PM start.
