Having won six of its first eight games, the women’s lacrosse team looked to add Williams College to its win list on April 1. However, Williams proved to be too much for the Cards to handle as they defeated the Lady Cards 13-5 this past Saturday in a heated NESCAC battle. The Ephs are currently ranked 10th in the nation.
“Saturday’s loss was disappointing, but as our coach stated, there were moments of brilliance,” said Sophia Kim ’08. “We’ve moved on and now we’re looking for our next two NESCAC wins this week.”
The Wesleyan women got off to a quick 1-0 lead with a goal by senior Becky Meredith ’06 31 seconds into the game. Unfortunately the Cardinal flame was soon smothered by a rapid peppering of Ephs shots. Not only were the Ephs successful offensively, but they also played a strong defensive first half, preventing the Cardinals from scoring again. Williams’ Rachel Barr ignited a run of seven unanswered goals, aided by Eph Britt Spackman, who finished the game with a total of three unassisted goals and four assists.
Just over two minutes into the second half, Sarah Orkin ’09 broke the Williams streak with an unassisted goal. Two minutes later, after a Williams goal, Schuyler Swenson ’09, single-handedly scored her 12th goal of the season. Swenson is one of the leading point scorers for the Lady Cards, second only to Amanda Belichick ’07. Meredith and Orkin scored the other two Cardinal goals.
Despite playing a stronger second half, the Wesleyan women could not overcome the early deficit as they lost by eight runs. The Lady Cards are now nationally ranked at 17th among Division III teams.
“We showed ourselves how important it is to play to our potential consistently throughout the duration of the game,” Seigle said. “We have to come out and play our own game from the very beginning, like against Smith. We are excited to do that consistently in the following games this season.”
“We’re a young team, so every game is a huge milestone in our development,” said defender Beck Dorey-Stein ’08. “Each game, especially against Williams, showcases what we need to work on, because we can definitely bring the fire!”
A few days before the Williams loss, the Lady Cardinals flew circles around Smith College, crushing the Pioneers 16-1 at home. Wesleyan dominated both offensively and defensively throughout the entire game, shutting out the Pioneers until they scored with just under two minutes left in the second half. Belichick stood out among the women with five goals and three assists. Right behind Belichick was Swenson, with four goals and two assists. Kim and Meredith, both defenders, notched two goals on their belts while Orkin, Sticklor, and Jen Bianculli ’07 rounded out the scoring with one goal each.
Besides the Williams game, the only other loss for the women’s lacrosse team was to non-conference opponent College of Wooster, 8-7, during the spring break trip to Florida. The women stayed in West Palm Beach and participated in a “Spring Fling” gathering where over 100 lacrosse teams from across the nation assembled to practice and compete. The College of Wooster contest broke a five-game winning streak that included victories over Babson College, New England College, Bates College, Eastern Connecticut State University, and Stevens Institute.
The Cardinals will play their third NESCAC game of the season against conference rival Connecticut College this afternoon at home.
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