The women’s varsity soccer team currently sits in the #4 spot in the NESCAC league standings thanks to a fall break in good form. The Cardinal women won two of their three NESCAC games this weekend, vaulting themselves ahead of Hamilton, Tufts, and Bowdoin in the process.
The first Wesleyan win was a thriller over Connecticut College 2-1. After a tight first half, Conn opened the scoring in the 62nd minute with a shot from about 20 yards out. Wes countered 15 minutes later, as Kerry Doyle ’14 curled in a corner that was deposited by NESCAC leading scorer Laura Kurash ’13 in the 77th. Wesleyan could have laid down with their playoff hopes already assured with a tie, but instead, Kurash waited until the 86th to put her emphatic note on the game. The leading scorer took a penalty kick and deposited it into the net, her 6th game-winner of the year. That means that half of her goals have won the game for Wesleyan. It would not be the only game Wesleyan would win in the second half in dramatic comeback fashion.
The next game was a letdown from their five-game win streak, as Wesleyan lost to undefeated Amherst, 3-0. The Lord Jeffs picked up the points as they scored twice in the first half and once in the second to assure themselves home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Amherst outshot Wesleyan 25 shots to 10, and will be a tough team to meet come playoff time.
On Tuesday, Wes played potentially their most important game this year, as they defeated Trinity 2-1 to give themselves a chance to host a first round game in the NESCAC playoffs. This was exactly what they needed to close the season on a high note, and like their Conn College game, it didn’t come easy. Just like the Conn game, Trinity struck first, putting Wes down one in the 22nd minute. Halftime passed, and though Wes got shots off, they couldn’t seem to find the touch they have seemingly possessed all year long.
The game continued like this until the 80th minute when Wes fired themselves to life on the foot of sophomore Kerry Doyle. Doyle smashed a shot into the left side of the net, and Wes was back. It was her fourth goal of the year, good for second on the team behind Kurash (who, along with Barrie Lindsay ’12, recorded an assist on the play). Doyle wasn’t done yet though, as she waited until the 87th minute before she intercepted an attempted clearance at the top of the box, and stuffed it back into Trinity’s goal. The Cardinals would hold on from that point for their second time in a week, scoring a game-winner in the last 10 minutes once again.
Wesleyan’s record now stands at a respectable 5-5 behind Williams, Middlebury, and league-leading Amherst. In the end, the Wes women have done all they could to secure a playoff home game (barring defeating the unbeaten Lord Jeffs) and now their fate rests in the hands of the Bowdoin Polar Bears. If Bowdoin defeats Tufts today, then Wesleyan will hold onto the #4 spot and host Tufts in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs. If Tufts beats Bowdoin, then they will host Wesleyan in the first round. Regardless of the games’ outcome, the Wes women will play Tufts in the first round of playoffs.