NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team wrapped up the regular season with a 14-10 victory over Wesleyan University on Wednesday night at Silfen Field. 

In a game that had postseason implications for both sides, the Camels never trailed and led by as many as five goals in the second half. Liam Horkan (Malden, Mass.) paved the way with a hat trick while JJ Ford (Clinton, Conn.) and Patrick Atkins (Topsfield, Mass.) each added a pair of goals. Will Rice (New Rochelle, N.Y.) made 15 saves in the cage to give Conn its first win over Wesleyan since 2015.

With the win, Conn improved to 6-7 overall (4-6 NESCAC) and clinched a berth in the upcoming NESCAC Championship. The Camels will be the eighth seed in the tournament and will face top-seeded Tufts University in the quarterfinals.

After the teams traded goals in the opening quarter, Conn pulled away in the second behind a 5-0 run that yielded a 7-2 advantage. Aidan McAvoy (Charlotte, N.C.) got things started with an unassisted effort, and Jared Rainville (Watertown, Conn.) sliced through the Wesleyan defense to add another. Atkins supplied a goal and an assist during the stretch, and Nick McLaughlin (Wilbraham, Mass.) went coast-to-coast for a score after forcing a turnover on defense.

The Cardinals recovered behind back-to-back tallies by Will Shull (Marblehead, Mass.) and Matt Gill (Duxbury, Mass.), but Horkan added a goal late in the half to give the Camels an 8-4 lead at the break. Conn held a 32-16 edge in shots for the half, with several attempts clanging off the frame.

The third quarter was scoreless until CK Giancola (Canton, Conn.) scored with 4:27 left in the period, trimming Conn's lead to three. Atkins matched the goal just over a minute later, and Bobby Chang (South Salem, N.Y.) made it a 10-5 game with a nifty move around his defender and a diving shot from the side of the goal.  

Jack Raba (Cheshire, Conn.) gave the Cardinals some hope in the final seconds of the third. After a shot by Shull drew post, Raba quickly scooped up the rebound and buried a backhanded shot as the horn sounded. The goal stood, and Conn took a 10-6 lead into the final stanza.

Wesleyan scored in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to draw within three, but the Camels didn't let them get any closer. Jack Venturelli (Duxbury, Mass.) notched his first goal of the season, and minutes later Horkan completed the hat trick off a feed from McAvoy.

The Cardinals once again cut it to three following Raba's third goal of the night with 5:26 remaining. However, Jack Gurney (Grafton, Mass.) kept the Camels comfortably in front with his second goal of the season, and Ford later tacked on an empty netter in the final minute.  

Conn's defense caused 13 turnovers—its second-highest total of the season—as Henry Cabot (Ipswich, Mass.) led the way with five. Rice made 11 of his 15 saves in the second half. 

Conn College will travel to Tufts for the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Championship on Saturday, April 29 at 3:00 p.m. The Jumbos, who are the top-ranked team in the country, finished the regular season with a record of 15-0 (10-0 NESCAC).