The undefeated men’s soccer team hosted Colby on Sunday for the first game of the NESCAC tournament and dominated the field, beating the Mules 5-0. Wesleyan had wrapped up its regular season with a 2-0 win against Connecticut College on Friday, ending with a school-best undefeated record of 10-0-4. This victory secured the top seed in the NESCAC playoffs, along with home-field advantage throughout, for the Cardinals. On Sunday, with a combination of seasoned defense, explosive offense, and excitement for the playoffs, the men earned another shutout, tying the NESCAC record for goals in a single fame while keeping Colby scoreless.

The scoring opened in the 26th minute as Geoff Zartarian ’11 found the back of the net off of a corner kick by Ian Waldron ’13. Just under six minutes later, Walter Rodriguez ’11 netted his first tally of the season after receiving a pass from tri-captain Nick Whipple ’10. Noah Schlesinger ’13, who has become an offensive force towards the end of the season, shot a low, bouncing ball into the right corner to beat the Colby netminder in the 36th minute. Sophomore Jacob Levkowicz was credited with the assist. The first half ended with the Cards up 3-0, prompting the Mules to make a goaltending switch for the second frame. Wesleyan had dictated the pace of the first half with 11 shots, to Colby’s two. The Mules tried to take back the game in the second half, recording 13 shots, but to no avail. Rather, the Cards added two more insurance goals, the first coming from Rodriguez on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute, his second of the game. Will Mithoefer ’11 added the final tally, his first of the year, scoring on a header after a pass from Alec Basseda ’13.

Because Wesleyan controlled the entire match, every healthy member saw playing time, including all three goalies. Adam Purdy ’13 started and played the majority of the game, making one save during his 77:33 in the box. Junior Nigel Stacey added just under nine minutes, and senior Nick Boskovich handled the final 3:45. Stacey recorded one save and both Harrison Lewin ’12 and Cabell Maddux ’13 added defensive saves to secure the shutout. It was the team’s 11th shutout of the season, extending the school record.

“We played much looser on Sunday against Colby in the tournament game,” said head coach Geoff Wheeler. “Our passing was crisp and our runs definitive. We got another great lift from our bench and we actually played all 29 players.”

Wheeler noted that the team was heavily pressured during the second half of the game against Connecticut College on Friday. The Cards scored early against the Camels, as Asante Brooks ’10 drove the ball into the net in the 15th minute off of a pass from Zartarian. Schlesinger scored in the 30th minute off of a strong pass from fellow freshman Rory O’Neill. Despite the added pressure in the second frame, the team did not allow the Camels to break onto the scoresheet.

Along with the spectacular undefeated season came two individual honors for two seniors on the squad. Tri-captain Jory Kahan ’10 was named to the first team while Keisuke Yamashita ’10 was named to the second team of the College Sports Information Directors Association/ESPN the Magazine District I Academic All-America squad. These two recognitions just added to the team’s record-breaking, highly ranked fall. The men ended the campaign ranked first in New England Division III and fifth in the nation and are currently one of only two unbeaten squads remaining, along with Ohio Wesleyan University. The Cards allowed a mere five goals in 15 games to lead the NESCAC. Purdy also led the league with impressive numbers in goals-against average (0.32) and save percentage (.926) and recorded the most shutouts, with nine.

With the top seed in the NESCAC tournament coupled with their win over Colby in the first game, the Cards gained the right to host the final two rounds of the playoffs. The semi-finals will take place on Saturday, as Williams faces off against Bowdoin and Wesleyan plays Middlebury. The winners of each game will battle on Sunday for the NESCAC title and an automatic bid to the NCAAs.

The Cards beat Middlebury just two weeks ago in Vermont 2-0. But the team does not believe that this regular-season victory factors into Saturday’s match, especially because the Panthers have since shut out Williams and upset Amherst, two of the top teams in the conference.
“We know we are going to need a tremendous team effort to make it to the finals,” said Whipple. “The fact that we get to host the tournament is a real honor. Our fans have been so great this year at home, and it’s important to us that they don’t have to travel anywhere next weekend to see the game.”

This team deserves a tremendous amount of support and Saturday’s match is sure to be a highlight of Homecoming/Family Weekend. Kickoff is at 11:00 AM.