Cher Qin, Assistant Photo Editor
Following two overtimes, women’s soccer (5-2-2 overall) was once again unable to get past conference opponent Trinity, earning a 1-1 draw last Wednesday evening, Oct. 3. Heading into the matchup, the Cardinals had not won against Trinity since 2013, most recently suffering a 2-1 double-overtime loss in Hartford last season. This game marks the second consecutive draw that the Redbirds have picked up in the past week, having earned a 1-1 double-overtime draw last Saturday, Sept. 30 against Hamilton. The Cardinals currently stand in sixth place in NESCAC standings with a 2-1-2 conference record.
Despite not being able to secure the win, the Cardinals were able to hold possession of the ball for the majority of the game. They also held a 19-11 shot advantage over the Bantams, with Wes goalkeeper Zoe Cassels-Brown ’20 only being forced to make two saves, while Trinity goalkeeper Taylor O’Connor had to make 12. Although the Cardinals had several great scoring opportunities in the first half, they were unfortunately unable to capitalize on them and net a goal. At the 12:05 mark, an opportunity arose following a corner by midfielder Katie Stewart Frizzell ’20 and a one-time cross by forward Liz Young ’19. However, this shot was blocked by a Trinity defender, keeping the match scoreless. It was not until 43:33 that the first goal was scored, when Trinity forward Katie Marlow-Benedick was able to net the Bantams’ sole goal in the game with less than just two minutes before the end of the first half.
At the start of the second half, the Bantams looked to extend their lead when forward Tricia Pollock had a breakaway, but a stellar save was made by Cassels-Brown, who came charging off her line to prevent a goal. The Cardinals were finally able to find their equalizer at the 76:28 mark with defender Allie Goss ’20 sending a cross from the left of the side of the box to midfielder Lauren Goetzman ’19, who was able to net a header, scoring a goal. Goss and Goetzman attempted to repeat the same play at the 84:00 mark. However, Goetzman’s header missed just slightly to the left. While the Red and Black possessed several other opportunities to score during overtime, including a very close shot by Kayla O’Brien ’19 at 98:32, the overtime period remained scoreless for both teams, ending the game at a 1-1 draw. With the draw result, the Bantams moved to seventh place in the NESCAC standings with a conference record of 1-3-1.
“As a team, we are really proud of our resilience to fight back after going down a goal and giving our 100 percent until the very final whistle,” midfielder Camila Rodlauer ’21 said. “There wasn’t a moment throughout the entire game where we gave up on believing we had the chance of putting them away.”
Cassels-Brown feels the same way about the team’s strong, determined spirit as the season unfolds.
“The entire team feels really positive about the season so far. We’ve bounced back from several hard injuries…and every player has stepped up into a new role on the field,” Cassels-Brown said. “The improvement we’ve made this season speaks volumes about the future of our program.”
In the coming weeks, the Cardinals will play five NESCAC games which will determine whether or not they make playoffs this season.
“Our energy and intensity on the field this entire season has us super excited going to the next five games,” forward Zoe Oasis ’21 said. “The Trinity game highlighted well the things we were able to capitalize on and the things we need to continue to improve on as a team in the future.”
Rodlauer also shared Oasis’ enthusiasm and excitement about the coming games.
“It’s always an incredible opportunity to upset the number one team in the nation,” she said. “As a team, we will for sure look forward to the opportunity to take down Williams in our game next week.”
Next up, the Red and Black will travel to Waterville, Maine, this Saturday, Oct. 6, to play against NESCAC opponent Colby.
Franklin Ribli can be reached at fribli@wesleyan.edu.