Not only can Wesleyan men’s soccer not be beat, it appears that the Cardinals, ranked ninth nationally, can no longer be scored on.
Last Tuesday evening on Oct. 11, the Cardinals travelled to Danbury, Conn., where they shut out the Colonials of Western Connecticut State University by a score of 1-0. The win against the non-conference competitor improved Wesleyan’s overall record to 9-0-2, while dropping WestConn to 1-9-2. Furthermore, the Cards have now made it three weeks, six matches, and 588 minutes of playing time since last permitting the soccer ball to find its way into their net.
One of the highlights of the season thus far, Wesleyan’s defense was once again the story of the day. Defender Ben Bratt ’15 contributed an especially strong performance as the Wesleyan back four held WestConn to a sparse seven shots over 90 minutes. Moreover, only four Colonial shots were on goal, and these were non-threatening dribblers that goalkeeper Adam Purdy ’13 easily collected for the shutout.
The cards possessed the ball well throughout the field and found themselves with numerous goal-scoring opportunities, taking 16 shots on the evening. However, WestConn goalkeeper Jack Holub made things difficult for the Cardinals, managing six stops, including several at point-blank range.
Wesleyan finally found paydirt in the 44th minute, as forward Greg Shaheen ’15 received a pass from defender Cabell Maddux ’13 and capitalized on a defensive mix-up in the WestConn box to fire the ball past Holub for what proved to be the game-winner.
Wesleyan will have had a full week of rest before traveling to Springfield, Mass., on Wednesday, Oct. 19, to challenge the Western New England University Golden Bears (12-2-1, ranked 25th nationally), the juggernaut of the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Cardinals’ last inter-conference contest of 2011 has also shaped up to be their most highly anticipated, as both squads are first in their respective conferences, and are currently ranked within the top 25 NCAA Division III teams in the nation.