Wesleyan women’s lacrosse traveled to central Maine to take on the Colby Mules on Saturday, April 6. After a series of disappointing NESCAC losses, the team hoped to notch its first conference win of the 2013 season. Unfortunately, the nationally ranked Mules dominated most of the game, with Wesleyan ultimately losing by a 12-3 margin.

Colby started the game strong, scoring its first goal less than a minute into play. The Cardinals responded when Abby D’Angelo ’14 put them on the board with a free shot 10 minutes into the first half. Another two snipes from the Mules gave Colby a slight 3-1 lead before captain Kaylin Berger ’13 struck back with another free shot. Colby responded with two more goals before halftime, giving the Mules a 5-2 edge heading into the intermission.

The three-goal deficit was the closest Wesleyan would get in the second half. The Mules broke away with seven unanswered goals to resume play. Although the Cardinals took nine shots on goal during this portion of the match, their attack could not break past the strong Colby defense. With a minute left in play, Wesleyan made a final surge, resulting in a goal by captain Kayla Ellman ’13 with just 39 seconds left in play. This made for Ellman’s 16th point of the season, good for second-best on the Cardinals behind Berger’s 22.

Although the squad fought hard, Colby ultimately played at a higher level on the day. Wesleyan accumulated 14 shots during the match, paling in comparison to Colby’s 31. The Cardinals also committed seven more turnovers than the Mules, seriously hindering their chances at victory. On an uplifting note, goalie Nina Labovich ’16 made nine saves, bringing her season total to 83 and her save percentage to .437. Captain Lydia Kring ’13 also had a notable game, posting two draw-controls and two ground balls for the Cardinals, while Emily Gretsky ’16 had three ground balls.

With over half the season completed, women’s lacrosse stands at 3-7 overall and 0-6 in the NESCAC. This Tuesday, April 9, the squad faces intrastate rival Western Connecticut in a non-conference match.