The “Birdcage” rang with cheers on Saturday as the men’s lacrosse team (9-1, 3-1 NESCAC) knocked off Williams College 11-7, moving one step closer to both another Little Three title and a high seed in next month’s NESCAC tournament.

Jumping out to a 2-1 lead early in the first quarter on unassisted goals from Alex Kaufman ’08 and Russ Follansbee ’09, the Cards took advantage of a flat Williams squad and powered their way to a 4-1 halftime lead. Jason Ben-Eliyahu ’09 and Jon Kileen ’10 found the net for the second two scores, while the fierce Wesleyan defense yielded only one goal on ten shots.

A crazed crowd and the synchronized dance steps of the Wesleyan bench reveled in the excitement of Jackson Field, the team’s true home turf. Before Saturday the field stood unused since the 2006 men’s soccer team plowed its way into the NCAA tournament. The unique acoustics of the field allowed for cheers of the student faithful to resound, giving the Cards a decided home field advantage.

“It was great to finally be playing in The Birdcage,” said tri-captain goalie Charlie Congleton ’08. “The close proximity of all of the screaming fans to the field and the intimidating cement buildings really psych-out the opponent and work to our advantage as we methodically disassemble and then ruthlessly crush their hopes and dreams.”

Such was the case Saturday, as the third quarter saw an onslaught of Wesleyan goals. Follansbee, Kileen, and Grayson Connors ’08 chipped in a goal apiece during the period. The real domination, however, came on the ground, as the Wesleyan coaches stressed the importance of being aggressive on loose balls.

“The groundball battle was a main focus all week in practice,” said Chris Jasinski ’08.

Wesleyan came up with 41 groundballs to Williams’ 33 and finished 12 for 22 in face-off opportunities. This success translated to more offensive possessions and opportunities to score.

“I think [winning groundballs] really made a difference in our time of possession and helped us control most of the game,” Jasinski said.

Coming into the match-up with the Ephs, the Cards had been plagued by poor third-quarter play. Wesleyan had scored just 14 goals in the third period this year, making it the only quarter in which opponents had outscored the Cardinals over the course of the season.

But three third-period goals against Williams showed the team’s increasing maturity and ability to go a full 60 minutes at full tilt.

Down 8-3 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Ephs gained some momentum by scoring two goals early. However, Connors silenced the opposing bench and roused the crowd when—after being demolished in front of the crease by a minuscule Williams defender and drawing a penalty—he took the ball after the restart, stepped in without a thought of passing and rocketed a cannon shot into the upper right corner of the goal. The sideline and stands erupted.

The key to Wesleyan’s balanced and potent offense has been the skill and vision of the team’s young attackmen. Connors, Ben-Eliyahu, Follansbee, and Killeen have been running the offense and are racking up points as the team piles on wins. Against Williams, the offense ran through Follansbee, who had a five-point day on two goals and three assists, while the Cards kept away from Williams’ long-stick midfielder Brian Morrissey, one of the top players at his position in the conference.

“We had a really good match-up with Russ on his defensemen, so the coaches wanted him to go to the goal a lot,” Jasinski said. “We stayed away from [Morrissey], not really taking him one-on-one, but using picks to help get separation from him. Keeping him away from the ball frustrated him and didn’t make him a big factor in the game.”

As the fourth quarter continued, Wesleyan and Williams traded goals. Killeen and Ben-Eliyahu scored again, but Williams scored a goal with 2:09 to play, making the score 11-6.

Another of Wesleyan’s rookies made his mark in his first Little Three game. Lonny Blumenthal ’10, a quiet midwesterner from St. Louis, M0, shed his unassuming cover and crushed a Williams middie late in the game.

“It was the first time anyone ever saw [Lonny] angry,” said Nick Ajello ’10. “And quite frankly, it scared me as his roommate.”

When all was said and done, the Cards soared to victory, defending the Birdcage and sending the Ephs on a long bus ride home.

The Cardinals are back in action tomorrow at Amherst at 4 p.m., where they will try to win back the Little Three title, which they shared with Amherst and Williams last season.