The men’s soccer team picked up their first victory of this season on Sunday, beating Western New England College 2-1, a day after losing to Middlebury 2-0 on Jackson Field. The weekend’s results push the Cardinals’ record to 1-4 (0-3 NESCAC).
On Sunday, Keisuke Yamashita ’10 and Ross Pemmerl ’08 scored first -half goals for the Cards in their best outing of the young season. Co-Captain Matt Gnall ’08 recorded three saves in the victory and barely missed his first shutout of season, as WNEC scored in the game’s final minute. On Sunday, the Cards played like a different, much improved team than the one that managed just three shots on goal against Middlebury the day prior Saturday.
Gnall and fellow senior Jamie Hiteshew ’08 split halves in goal against Middlebury on Saturday, while Gnall played 90 minutes on Sunday after Hiteshew suffered a minor injury against Midd. Despite registering only three official saves Sunday, Gnall coolly handled several WNEC crosses to prevent more shots. The senior keeper was impressed with the team’s play.
“Our ball movement was tremendous,” Gnall said. “We were able to move the ball quickly with one-and two-touch passing and WNEC couldn’t handle it. Rather than launching the ball forward with no purpose, we were very precise in our attack and it took a tremendous amount of pressure off of the back four, who did a good job of handling WNEC’s pressure all game.”
In the weekend’s first game versus Middlebury, Wesleyan struggled with the Panthers’ fast paced and relentless attack. Both goals came off of one-on-one situations with the Cards’ goalkeepers. In each case, opportunities for scoring were created through balls played through to Middlebury strikers, who made dangerous runs across the Cardinal back four.
The Cards also stumbled into trouble offensively on Saturday when, unlike last weekend when they fired 16 shots in a loss to Trinity, the Cards managed only three shots on goal, all of which were stopped by Panther goalie Brian Bush. Bush’s most impressive save was on a first half penalty kick by Wesleyan co-captain Justin Mello ’08, which kept Middlebury in the lead 1-0.
Mello’s fellow captain, defender, and housemate, Ross Pemmerl ’08, took scoring matters into his own hands on Sunday with a blistering strike from 35 yards out. The free kick, which darted like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball, left the WNEC goaltender wishing he had never set foot on the field.
“[Pemmerl’s shot] might have gone through the goalie had he not corralled it helplessly into his own net,” said Gnall.
That was the second of two first half goals scored by Wesleyan, the other scored by Yamashita, a player Coach Geoff Wheeler predicted would step up big in his second season at Wes. Indeed, Yamashita’s goal made him the first Cardinal to score twice this season.
The Cards’ defense dominated WNEC’s attackers all game, holding the Golden Bears scoreless for 89 minutes before a last-minute goal erased the shutout.
Despite a 1-4 start to a season that was filled with NESCAC title aspirations, Pemmerl remains confident in the squad’s ability.
“This team will cause some commotion both in the conference and on a national scale before the season is over,” he said.
Wesleyan will try to build off of Sunday’s win and continue to play well in two games this week. First the team will host the United States Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., before traveling to Connecticut College on Saturday for a 2 PM NESCAC contest.