In a big weekend of NESCAC soccer play, the Cardinal women’s soccer team faced two teams at the top of the NESCAC standings, Trinity and Middlebury. The Cardinals were on the road for both games and this travel intensified their already hectic weekend, but they pulled out an overtime win at Trinity before falling at undefeated Middlebury.

 The Cardinals played Trinity on Saturday afternoon in the misty weather, avoiding the torrential rain that followed later in the day. The Bantams evenly matched the Cardinals in the first half as the teams battled to a 0-0 tie at halftime. Trinity managed to get nine shots off in the first half compared to Wesleyan’s three, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. The board remained blank into the second half for both teams, and the score was still 0-0 when the final buzzer sounded. 

 The Cardinals entered overtime with the opportunity to move up in the NESCAC standings, needing to net only one goal to knock off the fourth-place Bantams. Finally sophomore Emma Nitzberg knocked the ball into the back of the net after beating the goalie one-on-one. Nitzberg’s tally came just 1:10 into overtime off a feed from Kaylin Berger ’13 and gave Wesleyan its third win in four games against Trinity, all of which have come via shutout.

 With the win against Trinity, the Cardinals recorded their fifth shutout of the season. Clare Colton ’12 and Kate Connolly-Smithwick ’13 split time in the net, both playing another strong defensive game and combining for twelve saves in the shutout. The Cardinals proved their defensive prowess once again, having yielded only two goals in their last seven games. No previous Wesleyan squad has allowed fewer than five goals over any seven-game span.

 The Cardinals continued their weekend by traveling to Middlebury for a Sunday afternoon game. The game’s lone goal came from the Panthers in the first half at 18:44 from a one-touch shot into the back of the net off of a cross. The Cardinals faced constant pressure from the Panther attack, which totaled 18 shots to the Cardinals’ two. Both of Wesleyan’s shots came in the second half as they produced some attacking runs at the end of the game. Even with the barrage of Middlebury shots, Connolly-Smithwick remained collected and posted an impressive thirteen saves in the contest. Even with the loss, the Wesleyan women put up a good fight against the Panthers, who are tied for first in the NESCAC.

 The Cardinals moved up in the standings during the weekend to sixth place, resting one slot above Trinity. The Redbirds follow a long weekend of travel with two home games. Wesleyan plays Eastern Connecticut State on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The Cardinals will then look to move further up in the NESCAC standings on Saturday when they face fourth-place Bowdoin on Jackson Field.