The Cardinals returned to training on Monday, coming off a week of mixed results. On Tuesday night, Wesleyan easily beat a lackluster John Jay College at home, but the Cardinals lost in a heartbreaker on the road at Bowdoin College this past Saturday.
Tuesday night’s game was rife with goals as the squad was fresh off its first victory of the season: a thrilling, 2-1 double overtime victory at Haverford College. Further, John Jay’s defense had been anemic, having conceded 19 goals in their opening six appearances in 2015. Wesleyan did well to expose and capitalize on this deficiency, putting away four goals within the first 20 minutes. Before Tuesday’s 7-1 victory, the last time the Cardinals registered seven goals was in October 2006.
Chris Kafina ’16 led the Cardinals with two goals and an assist, while Dylan Hoy ’17 entered the game to bang home a free kick in the first half and also added an assist to his tally. Hoy whipped in an out-swinger from a free kick on the right side to find Ben Hicks ’18, whose header flew into the roof of the net for his first collegiate goal. Charlie Gruner ’17 also added his first of the season, while Nick Hawkins ’18, who assisted Kafina’s winner at Haverford, and George Avrassaglou ’18 found the back of the net for their first goals at Wesleyan.
A side full of goals and confidence made the trip up to Bowdoin only one that stifled their offense, as an impressive Bowdoin team saw off the Cardinals in a 2-1 double overtime decision. The game marked their first loss to the Polar Bears since November 2010.
Both sides had long periods of dominance in possession and created a lot of chances. An excellent playing surface at Bowdoin allowed for an open and free-flowing game, which is a reflection of the philosophy of the two head coaches, Geoff Wheeler for Wesleyan and Scott Wiercinski for Bowdion. Both coaches historically like their players to keep the ball on the floor and play.
In the first half, it seemed as though the Cardinals’ back line would have a long day, as Bowdoin dominated possession and posted eight shots to Wesleyan’s four defensmen in the first half. Capitalizing on their dominance, Wiercinski’s side opened the scoring in the 38th minute. Wesleyan’s back line failed to close down the Polar Bears’ CJ Masterson, who, with time and space, dinked a ball over Wesleyan’s back four to find Matt Dias Costa, who then headed the ball past Cardinals’ goalkeeper Jonas Katkavich ’17 to open the scoring.
The second half almost seemed like a different match altogether. The Cardinals came out guns blazing, threatening to score on several occasions in open play. But the Cardinals ended up finding their equalizer on a set piece; it was off one of the three corners in the second half, which saw Wesleyan getting forward and creating dangerous chances. Brandon Sousa ’16 whipped the ball into to the Cardinals’ leading goal scorer this season, Kafina, who headed it in for the equalizer.
The Cardinals continued to dominate after Kafina’s 80th minute equalizer, but could not find a breakthrough before overtime. Wesleyan certainly was the greater threat in the first 10-minute overtime period with three shots. Ultimately, however, a set piece was once again Wesleyan’s undoing, just as it had been in their first loss to Eastern Connecticut. A Bowdoin free kick taken with just under five minutes left from just outside the left side of Wesleyan’s penalty area skipped through traffic, eventually finding Bowdoin defender Nabil Odulate, who reached the ball and finished past Katkavich.
Wesleyan looks ahead to its game on the road at Western New England College (WNEC) in Springfield, Mass. This will be vital for solidifying a strong out-of-conference record, which is a must if the team hopes to reach the NCAA tournament. Although WNEC is not in the NESCAC, the Cardinals have met them at least once each year since 2006, but have not beaten the Golden Bears since 2012. WNEC has had a tough start to the year, losing to familiar foes Wheaton and Amherst, but has a consistently difficult side to break down, and will certainly ask questions of a Wesleyan team looking to bounce back after dropping its NESCAC opener for the first time since 2010.