MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Four unanswered goals in the first quarter set the tone and No. 2 Wesleyan women's lacrosse finished the job as the Cardinals never trailed in a 11-6 win over No. 17 Trinity on a chilly Wednesday night out on Smith Field. Wesleyan (10-1, 6-1 NESCAC) improves to 5-0 at home this season while the Bantams (8-4, 4-3 NESCAC) see their four-game unbeaten run come to an end.
 
Wesleyan's defense proved once again they're among the nation's best units as the hosts forced Trinity into 26 turnovers, the most by a Cardinal opponent this season. The Cardinals totaled 19 caused turnovers as a team, the second-highest single-game total for Wesleyan this year, as six Cardinals had at least two caused turnovers. Lilly Stoller '26 led the way with career-highs in both caused turnovers (four) and ground balls (six) while Lindsey Diomede '26 had four CTs and four GBs herself.
 
In a physical showdown that saw the two sides whistled for 12 cards on the evening, Trinity had nine green and yellow cards in the contest and Wesleyan cashed in with four player-up goals. Elle Priesing '26 cashed in on a player-up goal midway through the first quarter for the first goal of the game and it was Priesing who scored again just under two minutes later to make it 2-0 Wesleyan.
 
An extended Cardinal possession saw Becca Dibble '26 put a good shot on-target that was initially dealt with by Trinity goalkeeper Alison MacDougall but the rebound was scooped up by Maddie Shoemaker '27 who put home the goal. Mya Waryas '27 made it 4-0 Cardinals before the end of the first with a goal with under two minutes on the clock.
 
After seeing all three shots on goal turned aside by Izzy Weintraub '26 in the first quarter, Trinity got one past Wesleyan's senior goalkeeper early in the second but the response was immediate as a green card led to a free position player-up goal from Bridget Horst '26. Then Dylan Green '26 found the back of the net on a feed from Waryas to make it 6-1 Wesleyan.
 
Trinity found a late goal from Sarah Marvin with 1:12 left before halftime, only to see the Cardinals force a late turnover deep in the Bantams' defensive end. Waryas grabbed the loose ball and fed to Priesing upfield who had Addie Cummings '26 open for a goal that made it 7-2 Wesleyan at the break.
 
Cummings scored again on the first possession of the second half, this time on the player-up, to give Wesleyan their largest lead at 8-2. Trinity went on to dominate the rest of the third quarter, outscoring the Cardinals 4-1 to make it a 9-6 game heading into the fourth.
 
That three-goal margin was as close as Trinity would get in the second half as Wesleyan forced Trinity into nine turnovers in the fourth quarter, while Weintraub made saves on all three Bantam shot attempts in the frame to close the door on a convincing home win. Trinity went scoreless in the fourth quarter while Cummings scored for the second time on the player-up and Priesing netted the final goal with one minute remaining to complete her hat trick.
 
Green led the Cardinal offense with five points on two goals and three assists. Priesing had three goals and one assist for a four-point night. Cummings scored three times while Waryas had three points (one goal, two assists) and Dibble dished out two assists.
 
Kyra Browne '26 registered all nine draw controls for the Cardinals on the night while Green had five ground balls to add to her five-point total. Weintraub finished with seven saves, four ground balls, and one caused turnover.
 
Next up for Wesleyan is a spotlight showdown in Middletown as the No. 2 ranked Cardinals play host to No. 3 Tufts at 1 PM on Smith Field.