The Lead: The No. 4 Wesleyan University men's lacrosse team cruised to a decisive 25-6 win over New England College Wednesday evening in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Championships. With six assists, sophomore attack Carter Hawthorne set a single-season program record and now has 51 on the season. The previous mark was 48 assists in 2001 by John Landay '01. FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS: It was also Wesleyan from the opening faceoff. Harry Stanton '18 connected with Taylor Ghesquiere '18 at the 12:59 mark of the first quarter for the first score of the game. Wesleyan scored seven unanswered goals afterwards to take a commanding 8-0 lead with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter. The Pilgrims scored their first goal of the game at the 1:07 mark, but Wesleyan ended the quarter on a 2-0 run to take a 10-1 lead after 15 minutes of action. In the second quarter, the Cardinals picked up right where they left off and scored the first six goals before eventually taking a 18-2 lead into the break. At halftime, Stanton led all players with eight points on five goals and three assists. Hawthorne dished out his game-high six assists in the first half to set the Wesleyan program record for assists in a season. SECOND HALF HIGHLIGHTS: The Cardinals continued to increase their lead in the third quarter and scored the first six goals before William Pendleton of New England College found the back of the net for the final score of the quarter at the 2:24 mark. Pendleton scored two more goals in the fourth quarter as the Pilgrims outscored Wesleyan 3-1 in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Tom Martello '20 led the Cardinals in the second half with two goals. INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Fifteen different players scored a goal for Wesleyan, and the Cardinals as a team finished with 18 assists. Jason Gibson '17 and Zach Zavalick '20 recorded 11 and seven ground balls, respectively, and senior goalie Ted Bergman was credited with the win after making five saves in 30 minutes of action. Pendleton finished with a team-high four goals for the Pilgrims, while Matt Richard dished out four assists. Connor Fries picked up nine ground balls and caused a game-high four turnovers. BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: The Cardinals qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009 and the fifth time overall. They are now 7-4 all-time in the national postseason. Wesleyan has never lost a second round game. The Pilgrims remain winless in seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The Cardinals are now 5-0 all-time against New England College. Wednesday's matchup was the first meeting between the two teams since 2004. Wesleyan finished two goals shy of setting a program record for most goals in a game (26). UP NEXT: The Cardinals advance to the third round and will meet a familiar foe in NESCAC rival Tufts. The Jumbos, ranked No. 12 in the final USILA/NIKE National Coaches Poll, defeated Keene State by a score of 26-14 in the second round today. Wesleyan will host Tufts on Saturday, May 13 with a game time to be determined. It will mark the third meeting between the two teams this season, with the Cardinals having won the previous two matchups.