Wesleyan men’s soccer had good reason to smile on a cold and soggy Tuesday night. The team edged the Coast Guard Academy Bears 1-0 to even its overall record at 4-4. Although the victory marked another close game for the Cardinals, who have yet to win or lose by more than one point this season, it was arguably the best 90-minute performance that the team has put on all season.

Coast Guard came into the contest as the hot hand in the midst of a four-game win streak in which they had outscored opponents 6-1. Wesleyan cooled them off with dispatch as they controlled the ball well throughout the field, commanding the pace of the game.

The Bears mustered just seven shots, only one of which made it past the back four, where Adam Purdy ’13 stopped it—his second shutout of the year. The Cardinals applied a more consistent pressure, taking thirteen shots on the evening.

Things paid off for Wesleyan in the sixty-first minute, as midfielder Steve Paresi ’12 passed a ball from the right side to the center of the Coast Guard box where it hit off the back of forward Michael McCarthy ’14. Walter Rodriguez ’13 controlled the deflection and deposited it in the back of the net for his second goal of the season. Dual credit for the assist went to Paresi as well as to McCarthy, who was playing in the first game of his Wesleyan career.

Stay tuned as the Redbirds return to NESCAC action this Saturday, when they will travel to Brunswick, Maine to challenge the Bowdoin Polar Bears in what promises to be an intense match. Bowdoin currently sits third in the conference standings and is coming off a three-game win streak. Wesleyan, though, should be expected to play with fire, as they need a win to establish themselves as a playoff contender.