MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – It was smooth sailing for the No. 12 Wesleyan men's lacrosse team as the Cardinals opened with 16 unanswered goals, eventually toppling Ohio Northern by a score of 19-4 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Wesleyan (12-4) advances to the Third Round (Sweet 16) on Sunday when they will play host to Little Three rival Williams at 3 PM on Citrin Field.
Everything was working for the Cardinals who held commanding advantages in both face off wins (15-4) and shots (26-4) in the first half which translated on the scoreboard as Wesleyan led 16-0 with under two minutes left before halftime. A balanced attack saw six different Cardinals score to open the 16-0 run before
Ben Burns '26 scored back-to-back goals late in the first quarter.
Matt Morrow '27 netted his second of the frame to make it 9-0 Cardinals at the end of the first.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as
Griffyn Flood '29,
Kyle Short '28, and
Charlie Hill '28 all got in on the goal-scoring action while
Will Miller '26 scored his second of the game and
Gavin Lechner '28 buried consecutive goals as the Cardinals held a commanding 16-1 halftime lead.
The benches started to empty in the second half as Wesleyan and Ohio Northern each scored three times in the final 30 minutes of play.
Joe Hurton '27 buried a goal off a face off win while
Drew Zyskowski '27 scored his second of the season and
Cooper Mendelsohn '29 scored his second of the game in the final minute to complete the scoring in a 15-goal win.
The 15-goal triumph is the second-largest NCAA Tournament win in team history for Wesleyan, finishing behind only a 25-6 win over New England College back in 2017. The four goals allowed tied a team single-game record for fewest goals allowed in the NCAA Tournament. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 10-1 all-time in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Wesleyan outshot Ohio Northern 53-24 including a 40-12 margin in shots on-goal. Wesleyan finished +10 in turnover margin while the Cardinals held Ohio Northern to a 12-for-24 showing on clearing attempts. The Cardinals went 19-for-26 on face offs in the contest as a team while Wesleyan grabbed a 38-21 lead in ground balls.
Lechner (three goals, two assists) and Morrow (two goals, three assists) tied for the team lead with five points apiece. Burns had three goals and one assist. Short, Zyskowski, and Hill each finished with three points.
Jack Doherty '28 went 8-for-11 on face offs while
Jackson Tinari '26 went 8-for-12 and
Jack Stanislaw '27 was 3-for-3.
Both
Conor Selfridge '26 (three saves, one goal allowed) and
Liam McCarthy '27 (five saves, three goals allowed) played well in cage, as the pair split the two halves.
Wesleyan seeks a trip to the Elite 8 as the Cardinals will have to go through Williams to reach the Quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ephs defeated St. John Fisher 6-5 on Saturday behind a masterful display from Charlie Medd (17 saves) in cage. The two sides met in Williamstown on April 18 with the Cardinals coming out on top 17-9.
