The men’s soccer team fell to Trinity 3-1 on Saturday afternoon, its second straight loss to the Bantams after a four-game winning streak. The team now sits at 2-2-1 on the season and 1-1-1 in NESCAC play. The Cardinals have two chances to move back into the win column this week, with a Tuesday showdown against Wheaton followed by a Saturday contest at Colby.

Heavy rain forced the team to play on Smith Field for the second time this season. Wesleyan’s season opener, a 3-0 loss to Western New England, was also played on the artificial turf. Saturday’s game opened inauspiciously as the Bantams jumped on the board before the game was a minute old. Cardinal goalkeeper Nigel Stacey ’11 attempted to corral a loose ball and was caught out of position, allowing the Bantams a shot at an open net. The goal was the first allowed in the first minute by the Cardinals since Oct. 21, 1992 in a 1-0 home loss to Bryant College.

Faced with a deficit for the second time this season, the Cardinals responded with a late goal of their own to make it a 1-1 tie at the half. Kyle Nuland ’09 fired a low shot past the Trinity keeper with 7:44 to go in the period for his first goal of the season.

The Bantams did not back down, however, and moved back on top with a tally 10:53 into the second half. Trinity fired home a one-timer just over nine minutes later for a 3-1 lead with 25:51 remaining, a margin that stood up as Trinity goalkeeper Zac Trudeau made five of his eight saves in the second frame. Despite the loss, the Cardinals outshot the Bantams 16-8 in the contest—including a 10-4 margin in the second half—and also held a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Both of the Cardinals’ losses in 2008 have occurred on Smith Field, where the team has been outscored 6-1 this season. Head Coach Geoff Wheeler noted that the lack of experience on the field’s artificial turf has led to the team’s troubles there.

“We don’t practice on [Smith], so there’s familiarity with the surface that I think we struggle with, and we haven’t made good decisions on that field yet,” Wheeler said.

The two home games on Smith Field have provided a stark contrast to the team’s other two contests on artificial turf—a 3-1 victory at Springfield and a 1-1 tie at Middlebury. Wheeler noted that the adjustment from grass to these schools’ FieldTurf pitches is minimal, as opposed to Wesleyan’s turf, which was designed primarily to provide a fast playing surface for field hockey and lacrosse.

“It’s a very different type of turf,” Wheeler said. “Wesleyan’s turf is not designed for soccer, so the turf at Middlebury and the turf at Springfield, where we did well, is a very different type of turf. It’s much easier to go from grass to the turf at Middlebury or Springfield than it is to go on our turf.”

Wesleyan must now turn its attention to a Tuesday home contest against Wheaton, which is currently ranked 22nd in Division III and sits at 5-1-2 on the season. Wesleyan earned a 1-0 victory over the Lyons in Norton last season, the fourth in a 10-game winning streak. Wheeler noted that the team’s difficult nonconference schedule—which includes longtime foes Springfield and Coast Guard in addition to 2007 NCAA Championship qualifiers Wheaton and Western New England—will serve it well as the season progresses.

“We don’t get to play that many [nonconference] games to begin with, so winning 5-, 6-, 7-0 like some of the other teams in our league tend to do at times, I think, is less beneficial for your team in the long run,” Wheeler said. “So we’ve benefited from tough games with Wheaton and [Western New England] over the past few years, and that’s why I think we continue to do well.”