c/o Diane Stone
Following a 2-2 tie against Conn College on Wednesday, Oct. 30, the women’s soccer team is heading to the NESCAC playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, the Cardinals rallied during the second half to tie it up before playing through a pair of scoreless overtimes to a draw.
Wesleyan entered the game in seventh place in the NESCAC. Conn College, in last place, needed a win in order to sneak into the playoff picture. The Cards needed a tie in order to ensure themselves a spot in the upcoming tournament.
Prior to Wednesday’s match, the Cardinals were riding a three-game unbeaten streak, their longest of the year. However, the Camels came out hot, scoring their first goal on a header in the 13th minute, then another on a two-on-one breakaway in the 29th. Heading into the game, the Cardinals had allowed two goals or more in just 3 of their 13 games.
“It was a shaky first half,” said Head Coach Eva Meredith. “We were a little rattled, but [at halftime] we had nothing to lose. We needed to get a tie, so we said, ‘Let’s start over, and take the next goal.’ And we did.”
In the 55th minute, the Cardinals cut the Conn College lead in half. After getting a pass from Hannah Jellinek ’15, Victoria Matthews ’15 fired a shot from almost 30 yards out that made its way over the keeper and into the back-left side of the net. The goal was the team-leading fourth of the year for Matthews, while the assist was Jellinek’s second.
Wesleyan tied it up in the 80th minute when Marisa Yang ’16 was able to find the back of the net with a low, hard shot from the left side of the box into the right side of the net. Yang had begun the year on the defensive side of the ball, but she had switched to offense when injuries forced Meredith to make changes to the team.
While there were some chances of a Cardinal victory in the overtime periods, the game stayed tied and eventually concluded with a draw. Conn College outshot Wesleyan 19-9; Cardinal goalkeeper Jessica Tollman ’15 made six saves in the contest.
Last Monday, Tollman was named NESCAC Player of the Week for her performances against Trinity and Middlebury, both shutout wins. In the NESCAC, Tollman currently ranks in the top four in shutouts, goal against average, saves, save percentage, and goals allowed.
“I think she’s been solid as a rock,” Meredith said of Tollman. “She’s been the best I’ve seen her in her three seasons. She has been saving so many games for us, and we’re lucky to have her.”
The Cardinals finished the regular season 2-6-6 with a 1-4-5 record in NESCAC play. The last few weeks of play have marked an impressive turnaround for the Cardinals, who, through the first six games of conference play, were in last place of 11 teams. After changing to a more defensive-minded system, however, Wes picked up the pace and shot up the standings into a playoff spot.
“For me as a coach, changing our system was the real turning point,” Meredith said. “It ended up giving us a better chance to win because we were more together to attack, and the players took it to another level.”
As the seventh seed, Wesleyan will travel to second-place Williams on Saturday, Nov. 2 for the NESCAC quarterfinals. Just last year, Wesleyan entered the playoffs as the eighth and final seed, playing top-seeded Middlebury in the first round. The Cardinals pulled off the upset with a 2-0 win and advanced to the semifinals before falling to Williams, 2-1.
When the Little Three rivals played earlier this year, the Ephs got the best of the Cardinals in a tightly contested 1-0 overtime win. However, Meredith believed that that game served as a turnaround for her squad, and that the Cardinals have the ability to create a different outcome this Saturday.
“We’re all looking forward to getting another chance now, three weeks later, where we’re much more confident and that much better,” Meredith said.