Despite an optimistic start to the season, the Cardinals were unable to make the underdog run we were all hoping for as their 2018 season came to a close this week. Their final game was a battle for second-to-last place. Leading up to the season finale, the Cards faced off against Wheaton College before playing a series of challenging games against NESCAC foes Williams, Middlebury, and Amherst with dreams of an upset victory. Their tough in-conference rivals, however, made it difficult to make these dreams reality.

First, at Wheaton, Wes produced some of the most offensive action than they have all season while remaining strong on defense, a combination that set the Cards up for victory. Nikki Gerjarusak ’21 got the Cards on the board early with a shot to the right corner of the goal, and the defense held down the fort for the rest of the period.

The Red and Black carried their momentum into the second half as they tried to expand their lead. Shots from Grace Khon ’22, Amy Schaap ’21, and Gerjarusak just missed their target, but Maddie Shea ’20 was able to pull a shot around the goalie to find the opposite corner of the cage, making the score 2-0. Wheaton and Wesleyan traded shots as the game progressed, until a green card given to Olivia Baglieri ’22 left the Cards with a disadvantage, and Wheaton’s Phoebe Seifert found her way around Delaney Wood ’20 to cut their deficit in half. Though the defense has struggled to remain strong for entire games this season, they were able to flip the script against Wheaton and take home the 2-1 win.

Next, the Cards traveled to Williamstown to challenge the 17th ranked Ephs. Wes was able to deny Williams’ attacks for much of the first half in addition to launching their own offense. Erica Horowitz ’20 had a great scoring opportunity just minutes into the game that was expertly blocked by the Ephs’ goalkeeper, while Gerjarusak had a couple of shots of her own. The Cards’ attempts soon paid off when Gerjarusak found the back of the cage to give the Cards a 1-0 lead.

The Ephs responded quickly, evening the score at 1-1 just three minutes later off of a rebound of an initial shot saved by Wood. Wesleyan was unable to generate any offense as Williams continued to attack their goal. Before the first half ended, Williams scored two more goals to give them a 3-1 lead heading into halftime. The second half was more of the same for both teams, and Williams went on to score twice more to beat the Cardinals 5-1.

The Cards’ trip to Middlebury to face the top-ranked Panthers went about as expected. The Panthers scored early and often on their way to a commanding win. Middlebury opened the game with a goal just inside the right post, and scored four more times in the first half. Halftime did nothing to interfere with Middlebury’s control of the game, as they scored six more goals to make the score 11-0. With just over a minute left, Horowitz saved Wes from being shut out by finding the lower left corner of the goal, but Middlebury still prevailed with an 11-1 victory.

The Cardinals next hosted 20th-ranked Amherst for their senior day game. The Red and Black started the game with the energy and excitement any senior day provides, minimizing Amherst’s offensive options while maximizing their attack. In the first 20 minutes of the game, the Cards had eight shots on goal compared to Amherst’s four. Just after these first 20 minutes, however, Amherst got lucky and found a gap in the Cards’ defense to score the first goal of the game and steal the momentum, which Wes never regained.

Amherst wasted no time adding to their lead in the second half, scoring again a minute into the period and again about halfway through. With four minutes to play, Wes had a series of attacks that hinted at a comeback but did not prove to be fruitful. Amherst walked away with the 3-0 victory.

On Wednesday night, the season came to an end with most intense game of the season. Before the game, Wes and Conn College were tied for last place, as neither team had beaten another NESCAC opponent. Both teams were looking to end their season on a high note and finish just out of last place.

Conn got on the board early to take the first lead of the game, but the Birds responded four minutes later to even the score. Conn regained the lead after Wood made a diving save that deflected the ball towards a waiting Camel who was rewarded with an open cage. Both teams maintained their intensity as the first half progressed, which Myla Stovall ’22 capitalized on just before the end of the period. Stovall found her way around two Conn defenders for an unassisted, equalizing goal that would send the teams into halftime tied at 2-2.

The second half passed without a lead change as both goalkeepers were determined to keep their team on top. As the 70 minutes ended with the score still tied, the teams headed into a 10 minute overtime. Both teams’ defenses held strong to thwart any great scoring chances, sending the game into double overtime. The momentum continued shift back and forth with neither team gaining much of an advantage until the 87th minute of the game, when Caroline Ferro received a through ball and beat Wood one-on-one to score the winning goal.

Though the Cards may not have gotten the win they were hoping for, Schaap says knowing they tried their hardest provides some promise for next year.

“I really wanted to get at least one win to end the season on a high note and to get some momentum going into next season,” Schaap said. “As a team we were very determined to go in and give it our all so that we knew we did all we could, and I think that showed with our tough fight last night.”

 

Rose Griffin can be reached at rgriffin@wesleyan.edu.