MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The No. 2 Wesleyan women's lacrosse team managed three separate 6-0 runs in a convincing 18-3 win over Cortland in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon from Smith Field. The Cardinals (16-3) punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive season and will host Sweet 16 and Elite 8 round games next weekend for just the second time in team history.
A dominant display right from the opening whistle,
Kyra Browne '26 secured the first draw control and the Cardinals quickly moved the ball upfield for
Addie Cummings '26 who dished to her left for
Dylan Green '26 who scored the opener just 11 seconds into play. More goals followed in short order as
Mya Waryas '27 netted a pair while
Becca Dibble '26 scored to cap a string of three straight Cardinal possessions ending in goals. Wesleyan added two more goals late in the period to lead 6-0 heading into the second.
Cortland broke up the scoring streak with a goal on the opening possession of the second quarter, but the Cardinals went on to dominant the remainder of the frame, holding the Red Dragons to just one shot attempt over the remaining 14 minutes of the first half. The Cardinals answered the Cortland goal with a string of six unanswered tallies as both Waryas and Green completed first half hat tricks while
Madeline Johnson '28 recorded her first career point on an assist in transition to
Abby Galaris '29.
Elle Priesing '26 and
Bridget Horst '26 scored late on in the quarter to push the game into running time right before halftime.
Armed with a double-digit goal lead, the Cardinals continued to play lockdown defense, holding the Red Dragons to just one goal on four shots in the third quarter while Cortland committed five turnovers in the frame.
Sami Smith '27 faked out the Cortland defense before driving to the crease for a goal in the third while Horst netted her second to make it 14-2 Wesleyan after three.
Browne produced a bit of isolation magic early on in the fourth, weaving through the Cortland defense to score back-to-back goals to start the quarter before Smith scored consecutive tallies to complete her first career hat trick and cap the Cardinal scoring in a 18-3 win.
The 15-goal margin of victory represents the biggest NCAA Tournament win for Wesleyan in team history. The three goals allowed is another single-game team record for fewest goals allowed in an NCAA Tournament game.
Four Cardinals produced hat tricks while six Cardinals finished with three points in the win. NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year
Lindsey Diomede '26 produced five caused turnovers and four ground balls while
Elise Kurtis '29 had two CT's and two ground balls in a dominant all-around display from Wesleyan.
Browne added five draw controls to go along with her three goals.
Izzy Weintraub '26 made three saves with two goals allowed in 45 minutes of work. Every available Cardinal who was on the active roster for this contest got into the game.
Up next for Wesleyan is the NCAA Third Round where the Cardinals face off against No. 21 UChicago on Saturday at 11:30 AM from Smith Field. This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The other Third Round contest played in Middletown on Saturday will feature No. 8 Pomona-Pitzer against No. 10 Trinity. The two winning teams on Saturday will meet in the NCAA Quarterfinal round on Sunday at 1 PM on Smith Field.
