BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The Wesleyan women's lacrosse team opened its 2026 home schedule Saturday afternoon, battling early before visiting Capital University pulled away for an 18–5 victory.
 
Capital controlled the pace for much of the contest behind a prolific performance from Leah Leno, who recorded six goals and four assists, but the Bobcats showed flashes of momentum during a competitive opening half.
 
Capital struck quickly to take control early. Sydney Norch opened the scoring with a free-position goal at the 14:12 mark before Leno followed with back-to-back tallies to give the visitors a 3–0 advantage.
 
Wesleyan responded midway through the opening period when Ashlyn LaPlante finished a pass from Nyah Elmer to put the Bobcats on the board. After Capital extended its lead again, Elmer answered with a free-position strike to trim the margin to 4–2.
 
Later in the quarter, Wiktoria Walska added another unassisted goal for Wesleyan, cutting the deficit to two at 5–3 with just under four minutes remaining. Capital answered with two late goals, including a man-up tally in the final minute, to close the period ahead 7–3.
 
Capital continued to press early in the second quarter, scoring twice to push the lead to 9–3. Wesleyan capitalized on a player advantage midway through the period when Francesca Sloan fired home a man-up goal to halt the run.
 
The Bobcats drew closer late in the quarter when LaPlante converted a free-position opportunity with 2:51 remaining, making it 10–5. Capital, however, answered with three goals in the final 2:31 of the half to take a commanding 13–5 lead into the break.
 
Capital's defense tightened after halftime, limiting the Bobcats to just one shot across the final two quarters. The visitors added three goals in the third period, including another man-up strike by Holly Stoner and a late tally from Mia Cruz to extend the lead to 16–5.
 
Two more Capital goals in the fourth quarter sealed the result as the visitors outshot Wesleyan 33–10 for the game.
 
LaPlante paced the Wesleyan offense with two goals, while Elmer finished with a goal and an assist. Sloan and Walska each added a goal for the Bobcats.
 
Wesleyan's defense and goalkeepers combined for 10 saves on the afternoon, with Ella Gomez recording five stops during fourth-quarter action.
 
The Bobcats return to action next Saturday, Mar. 14, when they host Geneva College at 1 p.m. on Cebe Ross Field.