Hartford, Conn. – Sophomore forward Olivia Tapsall (Old Greenwich, Conn.) assisted on goals by both classmate Nikki Rivera (Rockaway, N.J.) and senior tri-captain Sarah Duncan (Dedham, Mass.) to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 2-0 victory over the visiting Wesleyan University Cardinals in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) field hockey action this evening on Sheppard Field.  Trinity ups its season record to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in the NESCAC with its second win in a row and its third straight against the Cardinals.  Wesleyan drops to 5-7 overall and 3-5 in the league with its second consecutive setback.   The win clinches an eighth straight post-season appearance for the Bantams.

After the Wesleyan offense came out aggressively, forcing Trinity sophomore goalie Sophie Fitzpatrick (Duxbury, Mass.) to make four early saves in the midst of four early Cardinal penalty corners, Trinity reversed the momentum when Tapsall fed Rivera in the middle from the right wing for the game's first goal 8:36 into the contest.  Senior forward Paige Duke (Dedham, Mass.) nearly doubled the Trinity lead when her open shot on a breakaway with just under 20 minutes remaining sailed narrowly wide left of the cage.

Trinity junior defender Sophie Doering (Darien, Conn.) shot at Wesleyan sophomore goalie Sara Grundy (Montpelier, Vt.) off a penalty corner early in the second half, and Tapsall tip the saved ball to Duncan for the second Bantam goal with 32:15 on the clock.  The Cardinals threatened midway through the second half with four penalty corners, but the Trinity defense came through, holding Wesleyan without a shot for the first three, and Fitzpatrick stopped a hard shot by Cardinal senior tri-captain Amber Bruckner (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) after the fourth corner.  Both defenses were solid in the second half, as the teams managed two shots apiece after the break and none after the 12-minute mark. Fitzpatrick finished with five saves, all in the first half, and Grundy had two saves.