Coming off a frustrating 2023 campaign in which the Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team failed to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament for the first time in 21 years, the team entered this season determined to right their wrongs.

“Last year was a really tough year for us,” captain and defender Charlie Silver ’25 said. “So it was really a different culture coming out of last season to prepare for this one. It was another level of work, guys really playing with a chip on their shoulder to understand that we need to step it up. I actually felt really good coming into the season, because we had a really motivated group of guys who were really looking for some redemption, and that’s always a good feeling.”

Their season opened with a strong start as the Cardinals went on the road to face off against Colby in Waterville, Maine on March 2. Though the Cards nabbed a four-point lead early in the second quarter, by halftime the Mules managed to tie the score up 7–7. Unfazed by the mounting pressure, the Cardinals’ offense responded with a five-goal run to take a commanding lead, from which the Mules couldn’t recover. With two four-goal runs, the Cardinals cruised to a definitive 20–11 victory.

Captain and midfielder DJ Dixon ’24 noted that the team’s cohesiveness allowed this decisive win.

“I think we pushed transitions really well moving from defense to offense [and] scoring quick goals,” Dixon said. “Our two main shooters CK [Giancola ’24] and Ben Burns [’26] really showed out that game and scored a lot of goals for us.”

After his outstanding offensive effort, which totaled four goals and three assists, Giancola was awarded the season’s first NESCAC Player of the Week and became the 38th Cardinal to reach 100 career points.

Four days later, the Cardinals picked up a dominant home victory against Salve Regina University, winning 30–8. It was a day of records for the Cardinals as the team recorded its most goals in a single game in program history. Attacker Justin Hazard ’23 MA ’24 scored a career-high seven goals and the most single-game goals by a player since Harry Stanton ’18 in 2017. Dixon also got his name in the record books, joining Giancola in the 100-career-point club with two goals and two assists.

The Cardinals then picked up two more commanding non-conference victories over Roanoke College (23–16) and Stockton University (23–10) before returning to conference play to verse No. 17 nationally ranked Williams on March 16 for the first of their two Little Three games.

The game was close throughout the first two quarters with the score tied up 7–7 by the half. But the difference came in the third period, as the Cardinals poured in five goals to the Ephs’ two, getting them a 13–10 victory. The Cards’ back end played a crucial role, with goalie Sam Jewett ’25 recording a career-high 16 saves and Emmett Schillinger ’25 and Silver causing a combined five turnovers. Jack Rabba ’23 won NESCAC Player of the Week for his performance against Stockton and Williams, where he scored a combined three goals and dished out eight assists.

“I was super happy with that game,” Silver said. “Williams is always a very tough team and they always play you in a tight game. So it was big for us to have a good defensive game and keep the score low.”

The Cardinals then faced another tough competitor as they hosted No. 15 ranked Stevens College on March 20. Though the score remained close throughout the first quarter, a six-goal run in the second quarter saw the Ducks take a commanding 13–4 lead four minutes into the third. Though the Cardinals did come back with a five-goal run of their own, they were ultimately unable to close the gap and the game concluded in a 10–16 loss for the Cards.

Despite the frustration of the loss, the Cardinals took the game as a valuable learning experience for them to do better going forward.

“It definitely wasn’t our best performance,” Burns said. “But it was a good wake-up call for us to see that we can’t just walk out there and beat everyone [if] we play just on talent alone. So it definitely brought us back to the drawing board on certain things. It really exploited our weaknesses and made us want to compete harder.”

The Cardinals got back to their winning ways, defeating Bates 22–11 in a rain-soaked affair. Offensively, Burns, Giancolo, and Dixon outscored Bates on their own, netting a combined 12 goals. The Red and Black’s defense was again exceptional, forcing 22 turnovers, a single-game record.

Silver praised the team for their ability to perform at the top of their game, even in less-than-ideal conditions.

“That was probably the worst weather conditions I’ve ever played a game in,” Silver said. “It was about 35 degrees and freezing rain. That’s never fun and to continue to play hard and fight through adversity, that’s great. I was really proud of the energy our team was bringing. That was really vital for our win.”

The team had a full week off before hosting No. 19 Middlebury in a key NESCAC matchup. The Cardinals outshot Middlebury 47–40 throughout the game, but the Panthers were more efficient and pulled out a 15–8 victory.

It was the Cardinals’ first loss in NESCAC play, but the team was not deterred and turned their attention to Amherst where they hoped to capture their first Little Three title in six years.

It was another cold and rainy game, but the Red and Black were not affected as they jumped out to an 8–3 lead heading into halftime. The Mammoths fought back, scoring five times in the third period to cut the Cardinals’ lead to two. As they have all year, the Cardinals responded, scoring three goals in the fourth period, highlighted by a man-up goal for Giancola, his third of the game. Amherst did not go away quietly, making it a one-goal game late in the fourth period. The Red and Black were able to thwart the Mammoths’ final attempts to win 12–11 and capture their 13th Little Three title.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs and any type of Little Three Championship you can never expect them to just go down,” Burns said. “So when they started to come back we just kept our foot on the gas and did everything we could to get possession and hold the game, and we came out on top which was huge. It was a great feeling to win our first Little Three since 2018.”

The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 19 nationally and are set to play No. 4 ranked Tufts in a pivotal NESCAC matchup. If they win, it would be the Cardinals’ first victory over the Jumbos since 2019 and vault them above Tufts in the NESCAC standings. The Cardinals will play two more road games after that, against Trinity and Hamilton, before closing out the regular season with three straight home games against Springfield College, Bowdoin, and Conn. College.

Despite the heavy schedule ahead, the team is confident they have what it takes.

“Everyone on the starting offense has had game experience coming into this year,” Dixon said. “So that’s definitely been helpful. Everyone’s on the same page. Same way on the defensive side, there’s a lot of returners that play off each other well. I think we match up with anyone in any position.”

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu. 

Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.