After overpowering Colby 10-6 in the regular season finale, the men’s lacrosse team routed Williams 12-5 in the first round of the NESCAC tournament on Sunday.
Tri-captain Glenn Adams ’06 scored a season-high four goals in the win over Williams, catapulting the Cardinals into a NESCAC semifinal match-up with Bowdoin.
The Cards came out looking to avenge the previous week’s stunning 11-10 loss to the Ephs. Adams drew first blood with his ninth goal of the year, only to see the two teams trade goals for the rest of the first quarter. Scores from Mike Vitulano ’06 and Jason Ben-Eliyahu ’09 put the Cardinals ahead 3-2 at the end of the first period.
Wesleyan began to pull away in the second period, as Grayson Connors ’08 notched his 33rd goal of the season, before Adams put the Cards on his back. Despite a Williams rally to bring the Ephs within one with less than five minutes remaining in the first half, Adams pocketed his 10th and 11th scores of the season in the last two minutes of the second quarter to give the Cardinals a 6-3 cushion at the half.
The Redbirds poured it on in the second half, as tri-captain Jordan Funt ’06 and Russell Follansbee ’09 scored within 45 seconds of each other to push the Cardinal lead to 8-3. Adams capped off his dominating day with a score to begin the fourth quarter, before Dan Latzman ’09 joined the fun with his third goal of the year.
“Williams came to play,” said Steve Binswanger ’06. “They scouted us really well, but they could not account for BIG 17 [Latzman].”
Wesleyan kept up the intensity in the second half with help from the bench, as the reserves distracted the Ephs and egged on the Cardinals all day. With every Williams possession in front of the Cardinal bench, the reserves created a loud ruckus that prevented the Williams squad from communicating with one another.
“You have to give the bench a lot of credit for the win,” said John Harding ’09. “They really distracted the Williams team and, at times, the Williams coach was unable to get his calls in.”
A day earlier, the Cards jumped out to an early 6-1 lead against Colby before allowing them back into the game before halftime. Funt and Connors notched two goals apiece in the first half and each finished with a hat trick, as Wesleyan ran away with the game after the half.
Charlie Congleton ’07 made 11 saves in the win over the Mules. That performance, coupled with a 10-save day against Williams, kept his impressive save percentage just north of .720.
Congleton anchored Wesleyan’s zone defense, which, since the loss at Williams, has returned to its stingy ways, allowing just three goals to Tufts last Wednesday and then stifling both weekend opponents. With the back line on top of its game, the Cardinals appear ready to knock off Bowdoin for the second time this season when the teams meet next Saturday at Middlebury, the site of the NESCAC Final Four. Wesleyan fought through a hail storm to earn a 6-3 victory over the Polar Bears back in April.
Should the Cardinals, who have now reached the conference semifinals in four straight seasons, dispense with the Polar Bears, Wesleyan could find itself in a re-match of last year’s NESCAC final against top-seeded Middlebury. Middlebury, though, must first get by Tufts in the other semifinal tilt.
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