MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – On a frigid and rain-soaked Wednesday night, the No. 14 ranked Wesleyan men's lacrosse team was handed their first loss of the season, as No. 15 Stevens used a 14-2 run from late on in the 1^st quarter to the late stages of the 3^rd quarter in a 16-10 triumph over the Cardinals. Wesleyan (5-1) sees their unbeaten run to start 2024 come to an end against a Stevens (7-1) team that has beaten the Cardinals now in two straight seasons.
 
After the Ducks netted the first two goals of the game, the Cardinals answered back with three unanswered to take a 3-2 lead midway through the 1^st quarter. Justin Hazard '23 got the 3-0 Cardinal run started before Alex Moynihan '24 and Charlie Knapp '26 followed with unassisted strikes.
 
However, that run was short-lived, as the Ducks scored three goals before the end of the quarter, including a pair of strikes from Matthew Pergola just nine seconds apart as Stevens led 5-3.
 
The two sides traded goals in the first few minutes of the second quarter, but the Ducks took complete control with a 7-0 run between the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters, holding the Cardinals scoreless for 19+ minutes in the process. Keegan Hughes and Joseph Grippo both scored twice for the Ducks in the scoring run.
 
Hazard scored for the second time on the night to temporarily put an end to the run, but the Ducks scored three more unanswered goals with Jack Savarese scoring twice before assisting Pergola to make it 16-5 Ducks with 3:37 left in the third.
 
The Cardinals scored the final five goals of the contest, outscoring Stevens 4-0 in the 4^th quarter, but it was too little too late in a 16-10 Stevens win.
 
Wesleyan was outshot 55-25 in the game and 37-13 in the first half alone. The Ducks won the ground ball battle 34-15 and held a convincing 22-7 edge in face off wins with Jackson Penn going 18-for-22 with 12 ground balls and two assists at the X for Stevens.
 
Hazard had three goals and three ground balls while Will Miller '26 finished with one goal and two assists. James Bailey '26 recorded two assists. Moynihan and Ben Burns '26 each scored twice.
 
The Cardinals look to rebound on Saturday with a return to NESCAC play as Wesleyan welcomes Bates on Saturday for a 1 PM start from Smith Field.