Playing under gray skies that threatened rain, the men’s soccer team won its first home game of the season on Wednesday, defeating Springfield College 1-0. Adam Purdy ’13 continued to assert himself as a reliable goalkeeper, achieving his first career shutout in only his second game in the red and black. Geoff Zartarian ’11 scored barely eight minutes into the first half, receiving a pass from Asante Brooks ’10 on the left side before sending the ball into the net at the far post. The goal turned out to be the only one of the contest. This was Zartarian’s third point of the year, as he had an assist in the game at Williams last weekend.
Wesleyan controlled the pace of the game, dominating Springfield in both shots and corner kicks. The Cards fired 19 total shots in the clash, forcing the Springfield netminder to make eight saves. On the other side of the field, the Wesleyan defense held its opponent to nine shots. As the last line of resistance, Purdy put aside four shots. So far, the rookie has an impressive 0.45 goals-against average along with a 90.0 save percentage. The Cards also dominated the Pride in corner kicks, 8-1.
Springfield was Wesleyan’s first non-conference opponent of the season. This was the 61st consecutive year in which the two schools have played one another. In recent years, the Cardinals have dominated the rivalry, posting a 20-3-2 record in 25 games. Wesleyan will face off against Colby at home on Saturday, looking to extend a nine-game win streak against the Mules, before heading to Western New England College for a Sunday afternoon contest.
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