It took some time for Wesleyan men’s lacrosse to find its footing in last Saturday’s NESCAC quarterfinal match in Brunswick, Maine. Once the team did gain momentum, it proved to be too late, as Bowdoin held on for a 6-4 victory and a conference semifinal berth. Meanwhile, the Cardinals ended their 2012 campaign with a 9-6 overall record.
Wesleyan drew first blood on the day following an unnecessary roughness call on a Bowdoin defender, as Matt Prezioso ’15 received a pass from fellow attacker Max Landow ’12 and scored a man-up goal at 10:13 in the first quarter. However, that lead lasted less than half a minute, as Bowdoin scored at 9:49 to initiate what would be a streak of six unanswered goals.
Similarly to the meeting between Bowdoin and Wesleyan two weeks prior in Middletown, Bowdoin’s success was due to a stalwart defensive performance anchored by goalie Chris Williamson, in conjunction with an effective counterattack. The Bowdoin backfield withstood 37 shots by the trigger-happy Cardinals, as Williamson contributed 15 saves. Williamson now leads all NESCAC goalies with 199 saves on the season, and is second in goals-against average and saves percentage only to Wesleyan’s own Grant Covington ’12.
Facing a 6-1 deficit near the end of the third quarter, Wesleyan finally found a crack in Bowdoin’s defense as midfielder Teddy Citrin ’12 scored with 1:54 left in the frame. The end of the fourth quarter saw the Cardinals possess the ball well and launch 16 shots, yet only two more Redbird efforts came to fruition. Long-pole midfielder Brendan Hanley ’13 scored on a counterattack at 4:54, and midfielder Christian Kennedy ’15 achieved the first goal of his collegiate career at 1:01.
While the 6-4 loss to Bowdoin certainly ended the Cardinals’ season sooner than they would have liked, Wesleyan played some impressive lacrosse in the spring of 2012. Before their rocky final games, the Cardinals put together a five-game win streak from March 21-April 4 for their best overall record to begin a season since 2001 and a 6th overall NCAA III ranking. That run saw the Cards best Little Three rivals Amherst to win the Little Three Title and all the bragging rights conferred. The Redbirds again showed up an important rival on April 17 in another season highlight, as they defeated the then-first place NESCAC team Trinity by a score of 12-8 in Hartford, Connecticut.
With the season now over, Wesleyan men’s lacrosse bids farewell to eight seniors. Attacker Max Landow; defender Matt Meade; goalie Grant Covingto; and midfielders John Froats, Cam Davila, Joe Del Visco, Teddy Citrin, and DJ Bernatavitz contributed much to the Cardials’ successes in 2012 and will undoubtedly be missed.