Middletown, Conn. - The Colby Men's Lacrosse season got off to a start this weekend as the Mules faced NESCAC opponent Wesleyan. Unfortunately, Colby fell to the Cardinals 14-7 after a tough first half, taking their record to 0-1 overall and in conference play.

Wesleyan, the #7 team in Division III, jumped out to an early 5-0 lead to begin the game. Colby was able to find the back of the net in the second quarter from Gavin Rothenberg to give some light to the team. The sophomore finished off a pass from Cormac O'Neill for the Mules' opening goal of the season, and coming off a 32-goal season, is looking to have a just as dominant campaign. Will Steele and Cormac Wright also got on the score sheet in the first half, cutting Colby's deficit to three and taking them into the half down 3-7.

Coming out of the break, Wesleyan got out to a strong start that mirrored the first half with a goal on their first possession. However, after a penalty on the Cardinals, the Mules responded brilliantly as O'Neill buried a shot on their man-up possession. Late in the third, Will Steele grabbed his second of the game on a brilliant solo effort and gave Colby a positive to end the quarter. The Mules continued their momentum in the fourth, defending well and capitalizing on Wesleyan turnovers. Will Heisler came up with six saves in the 15-minute span, giving Colby confidence going forward which translated into two great team goals. Carter Smith ultimately benefited from the Mules' cohesion as he converted a pass from Luke Lombardo and with the minutes ticking down, Rothenberg got his second. 

In an opening game that didn't go their way, Colby faced an extremely tough opponent and will take positives from a game of this stature early on in their season. The Mules are back in action Saturday, March 8th, at noon, in their home opener as they host Connecticut College in a NESCAC conference matchup.