On Saturday, the fourth-ranked men’s soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season, a 2-0 loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC tournament semifinals. This crushing blow had immediate consequences as the Cardinals were knocked out of the conference championship, falling short of their ultimate goal of a NESCAC title. Wesleyan spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, especially in the second half, but their efforts resulted in few shots on goal. This end to the league season was nothing short of disappointing for the team with the best regular-season record in the history of Wesleyan soccer. Despite the loss, the men got good news on Sunday night, as they received a bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006.

The first half of Saturday’s game saw no scoring by either team. Wesleyan’s best chance came from a header by Jacob Levkowicz ’12 off of a cross by Noah Schlesinger ’13 that was deflected over the crossbar by the Middlebury keeper. The Cardinals seemed to dominate the second half, spending much of the time on the offensive. The Panthers committed ten fouls in the half, giving the Cards various free kicks and opportunities to get onto the scoreboard. But ultimately, Wesleyan had trouble establishing any concrete scoring chance, recording only four shots in the frame.  Because the Cards had dominated possession with no success for much of the half, the Panthers’ goal in the 79th minute was that much more frustrating. After moving into the Wesleyan zone for one of the first times in the frame, the Panthers created a rush that resulted in a corner kick. Middlebury junior Harrison Watkins then headed the ball into the left side of the net, putting the Panthers on the scoreboard and deflating the home crowd. They secured the win three minutes later as sophomore Tyler Macnee ran in and put a shot past Wesleyan keeper Adam Purdy ’13 for an unassisted tally. With less than ten minutes left, the Cards could not gather enough offense to attempt a comeback and were left with their first loss at the worst time of the season.

Williams and Bowdoin took the field an hour later, as Wesleyan played host to the final three games of the tournament. The Ephs defeated the Polar Bears 2-0 before going on to capture the NESCAC title on Sunday with a 2-1 overtime victory over Middlebury.

Middlebury seemed to bring a different team to the field from the one the Cards faced two weeks ago up in Vermont. On October 18, Wesleyan defeated the Panthers 2-0 with a quick game-winning goal scored less than five minutes into the match. But between this last meeting and Saturday’s one, the Panthers went 3-0, including a 1-0 shutout against Williams and an upset over third-seeded Amherst in the first round of the playoffs.

A silver lining for the Cards came in the form of a NCAA bid on Sunday night. With their stellar 11-1-4 record, the men earned the privilege to host the first and second rounds, taking place this weekend.  On Saturday, the team will face St. Joseph’s College before Babson takes on Western New England College on Jackson Field. The winners of each first-round game will compete on Sunday for a trip to sectionals. Amherst and Bowdoin also received at-large bids to the tournament, in addition to automatic qualifier Williams, though none received host honors. The NCAA bid was Wesleyan’s third in the last five seasons. Only Amherst and Williams (four each) have received more tournament bids in that span.

Even with this weekend’s disappointments, the Cards will continue to battle nationally, allowing the seniors to see more playing time at home. This fall will remain one to remember, as the team’s regular-season success translated into a Wesleyan best and a marker for future squads.