Despite strong indication that Wesleyan’s womenj would rebound following a disappointing result against Little Three rival Amherst, the varsity lacrosse team was unable to capitalize on a 27-24 shots advantage in a 9-12 loss to Colby College. The Mules’ record now stands at 9-1 and 5-1 in NESCAC play, making Colby one of the premier teams in the conference, while Wesleyan falls to 4-6 and just 1-5 in conference games.

The Mules played exceptionally well early on to build an 8-5 lead going into the half, yet Wesleyan stayed with them by matching their shot total for the first half. In the second, both teams added four goals to their tallies, which left Colby in possession of a 12-9 lead as the final whistle blew.

Wesleyan was led on offense by a balanced attack that saw five different players take more than three shots each.  Liz Chabot ’12 scored two goals, and Leah Sherman ’15 contributed three goals in the second half to lead the team in scoring for the first time in her college career.  Kayla Ellman ’13 added a goal of her own, increasing her team’s lead in goals by 22, as well as the lone Cardinal assist on the day.

The loss leaves Wesleyan tied with Conneticut College for 9th place in the NESCAC and one game out of the playoff picture. With five games left in the regular season and four against NESCAC opponents, Wesleyan will look to steal a few wins and vault itself right back into playoff contention. The Cardinals resumes play against non-conference opponent Howard University at home on Tuesday, April 10.