Bantams Shut Out Wesleyan In First Half, Win 13-5

Hartford, Conn. – Sophomore midfielder Caroline Hayes (Greenland, N.H.) totaled three goals and two assists to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 13-5 victory over the visiting Wesleyan University Panthers in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's lacrosse action this evening on Robin Sheppard Field.  Reigning NCAA Division III Champion Trinity, ranked No. 1 in the nation, stays perfect through its last 20 games and ups its season marks to 12-0 overall and 8-0 in the NESCAC.  Wesleyan falls to 4-9 overall and 0-8 in the league with its second straight setback and its seventh straight defeat against the Bantams. 

Tonight's contest was the final home game of the 2013 regular season and the last for senior tri-captains Mallory Hinman (Longmeadow, Mass.), Megan Leonhard (Summit, N.J.), and Olivia Whitney (Danvers, Mass.) and seniors Hadley Duncan (Rye, N.Y.), Kaitlin Hildebrand (Berwyn, Pa.), Hillary McNamara (Milton, Mass.), Lauren Slattery (Westford, Mass.), Haley Thompson (Ipswich, Mass.).  These eight seniors have led the Bantams to unprecedented heights, including a 66-6 record, three NCAA Quarterfinals, the last two NESCAC titles, and the 2013 NCAA crown. 

Thompson opened the scoring from Hayes 3:02 into the game, and Trinity dominated the first half with nine goals to none for the Cardinals.  Hayes tallied twice before intermission and the Bantams scored nine times on 13 shots, while Whitney, Hinman, McNamara, and junior defenders Midge Daniel (Wellesley, Mass.) and Lyndsey Shepard (Hamilton, Mass.) held the Cardinals scoreless on seven shots while forcing 16 first-half turnovers.

Wesleyan senior captain attacker Kaylin Berger (Farmington, Conn.) scored the first of her two goals 24 seconds into the second stanza, and the score remained stuck at 9-1 before Duncan scored on a free position at the 18:12 mark.  Berger's second goal started a 4-1 Cardinal run to cut the Bantam lead to 11-5 with just under eight minutes on the clock, but Hayes converted on a man-up, free-position opportunity with 3:06 left, and Hildebrand fed sophomore midfielder Lindsay Mullaney (Wellesley, Mass.) for the game's final goal 13 seconds later.

Trinity finished with a 28-to-17 shooting edge and a 19-to-12 advantage on ground balls, while scoring goals twice after Wesleyan yellow cards.  Hildebrand had two goals and one assist, while Mullaney and junior attacker Shea Kusiak (Longmeadow, Mass.) each scored twice, and Thompson and first-year attacker Molly Cox (Norwell, Mass.) notched a goal and an assist apiece for the Bantam offense.  Leonhard collected two ground balls and game-highs of seven draw controls and four caused turnovers, while Whitney and freshman Emily Mooney (New York, N.Y.) included several stops from close range among their seven Trinity saves.  Wesleyan senior captain midfielder Lydia Kring (Philadelphia, Pa.) had one goal and one assist, while rookie defender Emily Gretzky (Westfield, N.J.) scooped a game-high three ground balls, and rookie Nina Labovich (Alexandria, Va.) stopped six shots in the Cardinal goal.

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