MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Union College women's lacrosse team dropped its first game of the 2022 season on Sunday, falling to IWLCA #15 Wesleyan University by a 17-7 score in non-conference action at Smith Field.
 
Junior Sydney McPartlon led Union (1-1) with three goals, while a trio of Dutchwomen chipped in two points apiece. Classmate Drew Charlton scored a pair of goals, sophomore Dana Nelson added a goal and an assist, and senior Grace Heiting assisted on a pair of tallies.
 
The visitors got on the board on the game's opening possession, as Charlton took a feed from Heiting 1:20 into the contest. Wesleyan's Chessy Greenwald scored back-to-back goals to put the home team ahead before McPartlon evened the score at two with 9:34 left in the opening frame. McPartlon scored her second of the game later in the frame as Union trailed 4-3 after 15 minutes.
 
The game turned in the middle two stanzas, with Wesleyan outscoring Union by a 10-2 margin to take control of the contest. The Cardinals scored the only four goals of the second period to take an 8-3 lead into the break, then added the first four of the third quarter before McPartlon broke the string with a free-position strike with 3:53 left in the third. Charlton and Nelson both scored from the eight-meter arc as well for the visitors before sophomore Anna Smith capped the scoring in the final seconds.
 
Wesleyan finished the game with a 34-18 edge in shots. Senior Jenna Paszek came on in relief to make seven saves on 47:41 of action for Union, while junior Hannah Dubinsky allowed the first seven goals to take the loss.
 
After taking a week off for finals, the Dutchwomen will get back into action on March 23 with their conference opener at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute beginning at 4:30 p.m. in Troy.