Hot off an emotional upset of Middlebury last Saturday, the men’s lacrosse team won its third straight game Wednesday, beating Connecticut College 10-5. A hat trick from Mike Vitulano ’06 and the athleticism of Mike Hines ’07 fueled the victory that pushed Wesleyan’s record to 7-1 (2-1 NESCAC).
The Cards rode the momentum from last weekend to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. Nate Byer ’06 opened up the scoring midway through the period only to see the Camels answer with a goal of their own. Wesleyan responded quickly though, with scores from Vitulano, Grayson Connors ’08, and Glenn Adams ’06 to close out the quarter.
“Those Conn. College chumps were in for a beating,” Alex Kaufman ’08 said. “Once the whistle went Woo-Woo, the Wes juggernauts hit the dance floor hard.”
The Camels, proving to be a feisty opponent, cut the lead to 4-3 with 4:37 remaining in the first half. But the Cards answered in style as Hines cut through the Camel zone and, as a defender hacked him to the ground, dished to Vitulano for an easy score.
But Wesleyan’s NESCAC neighbors to the south stayed in the game through the third quarter, though they could come no closer than within a goal of the Cardinals.
After the Camels cut the lead to 5-4 early in the period, Hines fed Vitulano for the goal that completed his hat trick. But the Wesleyan offense sputtered for the rest of the period, with the best chance to score coming on a shot from Alex Kaufman that dinged off the post.
Fortunately for the Cardinals, their defense dominated the Camels all day. Though the visitors spent a lot of time in the Wesleyan zone, they were never able to put together easy scoring opportunities. Charlie Congleton ’07, fresh off being named NESCAC Player of the Week, made 17 saves. His backhand stop in the waning seconds of the third period preserved the lead and set the Cardinals up to run away with the game in the final quarter.
“It was a must win game for us and, in tough situations, our defense came up huge with C-tone [Congleton] making huge saves,” said Jesse Bardo ’07. “A big factor was the loudness of our bench, known as the juggernaut squad, which I think made the difference in the second half.”
Wesleyan finally put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Camels 4-0. Mike Hines’ hustle paid off again as he eluded defenders and pocketed his ninth goal of the year with 11:48 remaining in the game. Just sixteen seconds later, Jordan Funt ’06 put the Cards up 8-5 on a goal made possible by a great effort from Pete Harris ’07. Harris intercepted a pass at midfield and outran defenders into the Camels’ zone before passing to Funt who put it by the goalie. Two goals from Connors provided the insurance.
“There’s a lot of talent here, but only together are we capable of doing great things,” Vitulano said. “It’s scary to think we’ve just begun to realize this.”
This was a dangerous game for the Cardinals because it would have been easy for Wesleyan to suffer a letdown after their victory over a powerhouse like Middlebury, especially if they overlooked the struggling Camels, instead focusing the upcoming game against Bowdoin, a tougher opponent. But the Cards did what good teams do, maintained focus in order to take care of business against a team that should be beat.
With the win, the Cardinals enter the weekend brimming with confidence.
“Expect the Hammer to be dropped this Saturday on Bowdoin’s attack,” said Matt Smith ’06. “Moneyshots all around; I’m talking colossal. Expect a big effort from Mike ‘The Boy’ Walsh on Saturday as well.”
Now tied for third in the NESCAC standings, Wesleyan hopes to continue its rise up the conference rankings against a Bowdoin team that is undefeated in conference play. The game is at home on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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