MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Connecticut College field hockey team saved its best for last, wrapping up the 2023 season with a 2-1 upset victory over No. 16 Wesleyan University on Tuesday night at Smith Field.

The Camels, who netted a pair of goals in the first half, limited the Cardinals to only five shots on goal for the entire game. Rowan Galanis (Ipswich, Mass.) and Bridget McGann (West Hartford, Conn.) each recorded goals while goalie Liz Winemaster (Lake Forest, Ill.) finished with four saves.

Conn picked up its second win over Wesleyan in as many seasons. The Camels also notched their first win over a ranked opponent since 2017. 

Both teams had early chances in the opening minutes of the contest. Kendall Arnold (Pawling, N.Y.) nearly scored on a backhanded attempt but saw it sail wide, and moments later Ava Galdenzi pushed a shot just outside of the cage on Wesleyan's offensive end. 

The Camels' first goal came soon after, as Arnold poked the ball away from a defender in front of the cage and put a shot on goal. Audrey Pace made the initial save, but Galanis was at the right post to put away the rebound for her second goal of the season.

Wesleyan trailed 1-0 after the first quarter but evened things up less than six minutes into the second. The goal was the result of a penalty corner in which five Cardinals touched the ball, with Georgia Adams finishing off the sequence with a goal at the right post.

Conn pushed back with the go-ahead tally in the final five minutes of the half. McGann took a pass on the left side and drove into the circle, pulling up along the end line to create a better scoring angle on the goal. She then slipped a shot inside the near post that beat Pace and yielded the 2-1 lead. The goal was McGann's team-leading sixth of the season and 17th of her career.

The Camels protected the one-goal margin for the entirety of the second half, limiting the Cardinals to nine shots, none of which were on goal. Conn also defended against five penalty corners in the stanza. 

Conn ends the season with an overall record of 6-9, its most victories in a single season since 2014. The Camels, who will graduate 10 seniors, also finished with a pair of NESCAC wins for the second year in a row.