The men’s soccer team competed in two matches this weekend, beating Colby at home 4-1 on Saturday before traveling to Western New England College on Sunday and battling for a 0-0 tie. In four games so far this season, the team is 2-0-2 overall, and 1-0-1 against NESCAC rivals.
Saturday’s home game against the Mules showcased the team’s ability to turn up the intensity to pull out a victory. Wesleyan’s goal first goal came from Keisuke Yamashita ’10 just over five minutes into the game off an assist from tri-captain Nick Whipple ’10. But after the first half, the teams were tied 1-1, Colby having outshot the Cardinals 8-6. With the game fairly even, a surge was necessary in the second half and the Cardinals did not disappoint.
The three captains led by example and took over the scoring sheet in the second frame. Tri-captain Jory Kahan ‘10 sacrificed his forehead in the 59th minute to give Wesleyan the lead, diving to head the ball into the net after a feed from Asante Brooks ’10 for what proved to be the game-winner.
“Asante served a perfect ball,” commented Kahan. “His left foot is one of the best in the ‘CAC.”
Whipple scored just over two minutes later as the Cards took a 3-1 lead. Tri-captain Mark Murphy ’10 started the play with a corner kick, finding Kahan at the far post. Kahan continued his trend, heading the ball towards Whipple at the near post, who banked it in for the insurance goal. Murphy completed the trifecta of captains’ goals with in the 72nd minute, the assist going to Rory O’Neill ’13. The Cards dominated the flow of the game after the break, outshooting the Mules 12-4. The success in the second half allowed an expanded roster as 24 players saw the field.
“The fact that we were able to play so many players bodes well for the future as the level of play remained high even when we made so many substitutions,” said head coach Geoff Wheeler, who improved to 10-0 in his career against the Mules with the victory.
“We have so much depth on this team, which just makes everyone push each other and get better,” added Kahan.
Wesleyan has won ten straight matches against Colby, dating back to 2000, and has outscored the Mules 9-3 in the teams’ last two contests. Adam Purdy ’13 saw 80 minutes in net, allowing one goal and making four saves, cementing his status as a top-notch goalkeeper. Nigel Stacey ’11 took over for the remaining 10 minutes and made one save to protect the three-goal lead.
Sunday’s match against Western New England, ranked seventh in New England, proved to be more frustrating, and ended in a 0-0 tie after two extra frames. Despite outshooting the Golden Bears 27-14 and holding an 11-2 edge in shots on net, the Cards couldn’t break onto the score sheet. Defense was strong, with Purdy making two saves to pick up his second shutout of the year. Harrison Lewin ’12 also helped the Cardinals’ cause when he stopped a long corner kick from going into the net.
“WNEC proved a good test,” said Wheeler. “They are a hard-nosed, battling team that put us under pressure at times.…As we smooth out the kinks in our attacking, I feel we will only improve as the season progresses.”
The men, who began the week ranked ninth in New England, have the rest of the week to prepare for Saturday’s home match against Tufts. Despite the fact that Tufts has yet to win a game this season, the Cards are sure that it will be hard-fought since contests against the Jumbos have always been close and challenging. Wesleyan will be looking for another win against a NESCAC rival before traveling to face off against third-ranked Wheaton on the 29th.
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