The Wesleyan women’s soccer team traveled to Northampton, Mass. Wednesday afternoon to take on Smith College. The Cardinals have played the Pioneers annually since 1978, but Wednesday marked the largest margin of victory yet, with final score of 7-0. Wesleyan took over the field and gave the Pioneers little opportunity to get in the game. Seven different players tallied points, highlighting the Cardinals’ dynamic offensive play. The Cardinals also boasted an impressive defensive effort, as goalkeepers Clare Colton ’12 and Kate Connolly-Smithwick ’13 managed a joint shutout, fending off Smith’s limited offensive runs.
Wesleyan netted its first goal early in the first half at 6:32. Laura Kurash ’13 headed the ball into the back of the net off of a crossed ball placed by defender Anna Crystal ’11. The Cardinals continued their momentum as Dasha Battelle ’11 ripped a high shot off a pass from Kurash two minutes later. Kurash gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead with her second goal at 19:58. She remained a focal point of the Wesleyan attack throughout the contest, notching an astonishing four goals and two assists. Setting the Wesleyan record for points (with ten), and tying the school record for goals scored in a game (with four), Kurash was a dominant force on the pitch.
“It is a really nice honor to [set] a team record,” said Kurash, “but really every one of those goals was a direct result of my teammates’ hard work, because each one was assisted by a different person.”
Five different players—Crystal, Kurash, Battelle, Beth Kenworthy ’10, and Mikaela Curtin ’13—tallied assists, and four different players—Kurash, Battelle, Katrina Ellis-Ferrara ’13, and Lily Kaplan ’13—found the back of the net. With so many players involved, the Cardinals rebounded nicely from Saturday’s shutout loss to NESCAC foe Williams.
“This game clearly shows how well our team works together,” said Kurash, “and hopefully it will give us a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season.”
Even with the blowout victory, however, Wesleyan’s all-time against Smith stands at 13-19. This was only the Cardinals third win against the Pioneers in their last thirteen meetings, but Wesleyan has taken the last two clashes by a combined 9-0 score.
The Cardinals will now ride the wave of their dominant performance against Smith into Saturday’s home NESCAC contest against Colby, looking to even their NESCAC record. The Cardinals have won three straight one-goal games against the Mules (including two 1-0 shutouts) and stand 3-0-1 overall against their Maine foe since 2005. The action commences at 11:00 on Jackson Field.