WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic University women's lacrosse team fell to a formidable Wesleyan team on Wednesday afternoon despite a solid first-half performance.

The Cardinals found themselves behind after just 51 seconds but responded immediately when Mattea Del Peschio found the back of the net courtesy of a Madeline Kelly pass.

A defensive battle ensued as No. 9 Wesleyan was able to keep Catholic off the board for the remainder of the first quarter. Kim Williams' squad put two more past the Cardinals to take a 3-1 lead into the quarter break.

After Wesleyan opened the second-quarter scoring to push its lead to three, the Cardinals showed good fight back, breaking a 13 minute scoreless drought with back-to-back tallies to pull within one. Izzy Fiore got on the board on a goal made by Ellie Verrill before Del Peschio netted her second of the contest to force a Wesleyan timeout.

The Cardinal offense went stagnant at that point, however, as the away side found two more goals prior to the break to take a 6-3 advantage to halftime.

More defense prevailed following the interval as neither team scored for more than six minutes in the third quarter. Late in the third quarter, though, is when Wesleyan really turned the screw, scoring twice more to push its lead to five. 

It was all Williams' team in the fourth as Wesleyan scored the first four goals of that quarter to complete an 8-0 run and effectively push the game out of reach. Catholic did end the game on a 4-0 run, aided greatly by Wesleyan miscues. Meghan McDonogh's team cashed in on three of its six player-up opportunities in the fourth quarter. Tori Wilsey added two goals in the fourth to push her total to seven goals on the season. 

Lauren Davidson was a real bright spot for the Cardinals, registering a career-high 13 saves in the cage. The senior has played every minute in goal this season.

Riley Martin, Lauren Bendo and Rachel Rubenstein each caused two turnovers while Rubenstein also gathered four ground balls. Lindsay Sawyer also registered three ground balls for Catholic while Verrill had a strong day, adding three draw controls to her assist.

Catholic's schedule will not get any easier as the squad gears up for another contest against a ranked opponent. The Cardinals will face a quick turnaround when they travel to Lexington, Va., on Friday to battle No. 8 Washington & Lee. Opening draw control on Alston Parker Watt Field is set for 6:30 p.m.