WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Seven unanswered second quarter goals and steady defense throughout proved enough for No. 8 Wesleyan men's lacrosse in a 17-9 win over Williams on Saturday afternoon from Farley-Lamb Field. Wesleyan's win clinches a third consecutive Little Three Championship for the Cardinals, matching the longest Little Three title run in team history and first since 2003-05.
 
Looking to shrug off last weekend's road loss to Tufts, the Cardinals started strong with a 3-1 run in the opening 5+ minutes. Ben Burns '26 scored the first goal of the contest on the first Wesleyan possession while Charlie Knapp '26 scored in his return from injury before Jack Doherty '28 won a faceoff clean and netted an unassisted tally.
 
Conor Selfridge '26 made three straight saves for the Wesleyan to keep the Cardinals' two-goal lead intact before Ryan Johnson scored for the Ephs to make it 3-2 Wesleyan at the end of the first quarter.
 
The game took a seismic shift in the second quarter as Wesleyan poured in seven unanswered goals in the opening 13+ minutes of the frame to turn a one-goal lead into an eight-goal advantage. Selfridge continued his strong start with another save in the opening minute of the frame, setting the stage for James Bailey '26 who scored to start the 7-0 run.
 
Knapp netted his second of the afternoon before Gavin Lechner '27 buried a feed from Tyler Vitale '29 to make it 6-2. Burns then scored back-to-back goals while Thomas Girimonti '28 found the back of the net and Lechner added his second of the quarter to give Wesleyan a commanding 10-2 lead.
 
Williams scored twice before halftime but the Cardinals went on a 3-1 run to start the third quarter to again extend their lead to eight. Goals from Griffyn Flood '29, Burns, and Girimonti on the man-up gave Wesleyan a 13-5 advantage late in the third. Another late quarter goal from Williams, followed by two more tallies to start the fourth lowered the deficit to 13-8 with 12:15 remaining.
With Williams showing signs of life, Wesleyan snuffed any potential comeback bid with goals from Will Miller '26 and Burns just over a minute apart to restore a 15-8 lead. Miller scored again with just over two minutes left before Flood added his second to complete the scoring in a 17-9 victory.
 
Burns was active throughout, finishing with five goals and one assist to tie his season-high with six points. He has a hat trick in four of the last five games while Burns also led the team with three caused turnovers.
 
Kyle Short '28 dished out a career-high four assists while five Cardinals scored twice including Lecher, Girimonti, Miller, Flood, and Knapp. Lechner added two assists for a four-point game.
 
Selfridge totaled 12 saves with nine goals allowed, giving him a .500 save percentage or better in five of the last six games. Joe Hurton '27 led the defense with three ground balls and two caused turnovers while Peter Rossi '28 and Charlie Wilmot '26 each added five ground balls.
 
Wesleyan closes the regular season on Wednesday with a 4 PM start against Conn. College. A win over the Camels would guarantee the Cardinals a home game in the NESCAC Quarterfinal round next Saturday