It was a triumphant weekend for Wesleyan lacrosse as the men’s team edged past visiting Colby College with less than a second left in Saturday’s contest. Though the Cardinals were down 11-7 with 10:54 to play on Saturday, they willed themselves back to earn a crucial victory against a conference rival. With just 0.1 seconds remaining, Quentin DellaFera ’15, with an assist from Graham Macnab ’14, banked a low blast to the lower left, pushing Wes to a 13-12 victory. The game-winning goal punctuated a six-goal run in the final nine minutes of play that earned the come-from-behind victory.

In the final minutes of play, with Wesleyan already surging toward a comeback, both teams traded off tough possessions, resulting in Colby holding the ball with 35 seconds left to play. A heady defensive move from veteran defender Lex Johnson ’13 and quick pick-up by Mike Robinson ’13 caused a turnover in the Redbirds’ favor. Out of nowhere, the Cardinals had a final chance to steal a victory at home. The Wesleyan offense had no choice but to be efficient. One quick pass to Macnab and another to DellaFera were all that the Cards needed to fly away with a victory.

Coming to Middletown with a 4-5 season record, including only one conference victory, the Mules were looking to climb out of the NESCAC cellar with a victory on Jackson Field. To begin the match, Colby managed to shock the NESCAC-third-place Cards. The Mules launched a stellar attack through the first few moments of play, outscoring the Redbirds 7-5 through the first two quarters. Wes had a tough time solving Colby’s defense, as the Mules’ keeper made 14 saves on the day. Mark Simmons ’14 started the day in net for the Cards and kept the team within striking distance through 50 minutes. JD Dieterich ’13 closed out the match.

Scoring in the sixth minute of the first quarter for the home side, sophomore attacker David Murphy ’15 tacked on his ninth goal of the year and added two more before the final whistle blew; he led the Cards in scoring on the day. Remy Lieberman ’14 holds the team lead in scoring for the season and continued his reign of terror over opposing goals. He deposited a Murphy-assisted goal with 2:25 to play to keep momentum on the Wesleyan side.

The victory brings the Cardinals to 8-2 overall, and even more importantly gives the team a 4-2 NESCAC mark. The Cards are currently riding a four-game win streak and hope to increase the tally in their next two away games at Eastern Connecticut and Bowdoin. The Cardinals return home next Tuesday, April 16 to play against rival Trinity.