HARTFORD, Conn. – After playing to an even 5-5 score at halftime, the No. 8 Wesleyan men's lacrosse team took complete control in the second half, outscoring Trinity 6-1 over the final 30 minutes to earn a 11-6 win on Wednesday night from Tansill Muldoon Stadium. Wesleyan (9-2, 5-2 NESCAC) improves to 5-0 playing away from home in 2026 while the Bantams (5-7, 1-6 NESCAC) have lost four straight.
 
A back-and-forth first quarter saw the two sides trade goals throughout as Gavin Lechner '26, Will Miller '26, and Matt Morrow '27 found the back of the net for Wesleyan while the Bantams countered with three of their own with neither side scoring consecutive goals in the opening 15 minutes.
 
Wesleyan took a brief two-goal lead in the second quarter as Morrow scored just 55 seconds into the frame then Ben Burns '26 scored nearly eight minutes later to make it 5-3. Trinity answered back just 56 seconds after Burns' marker and tied the score after another 33 seconds as Miles Harvey scored back-to-back Bantam goals to make it 5-5 at halftime.
 
After 30 minutes of back-and-forth scoring, the script flipped in the second half as Wesleyan held Trinity scoreless for over 24 combined minutes from the second quarter through the fourth, while the Bantams scored just once after halftime. Trinity generated 16 shots, compared to 13 for Wesleyan, but only five were on-cage with Conor Selfridge '26 turning aside four of those five shots on goal.
 
Miller found the back of the net for the go-ahead goal just one minute into the third quarter and after a flurry of Trinity shots over the following 2+ minutes, Burns scored after a lengthy Cardinal possession to open a two-goal lead. Burns found the back of the net again before the quarter ended, completing his hat trick and spotting Wesleyan an 8-5 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Trinity cut the deficit down to 8-6 with a goal from Harvey with 10:49 remaining. That was followed by a key sequence as Selfridge made a save on Billy Gerne on the ensuing possession, but Wesleyan was whistled for two penalties, giving Trinity a two-man advantage for one minute. That crucial double man-up opportunity as squandered though as a Ben Wong turnover gave the ball back to Wesleyan who scored at the 7:10 mark with a Lechner goal.
 
Armed with a 9-6 lead, Selfridge had another big stop on a Jake Connors shot with 5:36 remaining and then an Ethan Cobb turnover with under four minutes left allowed the Cardinals to take more time off the clock. After another scoreless Trinity possession, Wesleyan cleared and scored an empty net goal from Ryan Aabel '28 then James Bailey '26 netted another empty netter to finish off the 11-6 win.
 
Selfridge made 10 of his 14 saves in the first half to keep the game from getting away from the Cardinals as the senior goalkeeper has a .500+ save percentage in four straight games. Peter Rossi '28 led the defense with two caused turnovers and three ground balls while Doug Rabin '26 had two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
 
Bailey led the offense with one goal and three assists for four points. Burns scored three for a third consecutive hat trick while Miller scored twice and had an assist for a three-point game. Morrow and Lechner each scored twice.
 
The Cardinals head back out on the road for a spotlight showdown in Medford as Wesleyan takes on No. 1 Tufts on Saturday for a 1 PM start.