Jonas Powell, Staff Photographer

Women’s soccer (8-5-3) will await the news of an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, following a hard-fought playoff loss in the first round of the NESCAC tournament against fourth seed Tufts this past Sunday, Oct. 28. This matchup marked the Cardinals’ first appearance in the postseason since 2013, while earning the fifth seed for the first time since 2011. Following this match, the Jumbos advanced to the semifinals to face first-seeded Williams this Saturday.

The game started fast, and a little too fast for the Cards.

“This past Sunday, I think we needed to be more confident in our abilities as individual players and overall as a team,” defender Emily Ribatt ’21 said. “We play our best when we keep the ball on the ground, connect passes, and tire out the other team, and we struggled to find that rhythm on Sunday.”

The Cardinals were presented with a chance to score at the 21:56 mark when forward Liz Young ’19 sent a cross that was picked up by midfielder Lauren Goetzman ’19. Goetzman was able to get pass through a defender and shoot the ball, sending Tufts goalkeeper Brewer diving to the right. However, the ball went just wide left, keeping the game scoreless. Less than four minutes later, the Jumbos took advantage of a Wesleyan defensive breakdown, and Liz Reed found the bottom left corner of the goal, earning Tufts a 1-0 advantage before half-time.

The Cardinals reflected on their first half performance with regret.

“Sometimes, we get influenced by the other team’s style of play which didn’t work well for us,” forward Gianna Argento ’21 said. “When we play possession, one or two touches, and high pressure games, we have our best results like the Amherst game.”

Following intermission, the Jumbos were able to extend their lead to 2-0 in the 54:52 mark. Tufts midfielder Sophie Lloyd sent a cross to the left corner of the goal, and Reed comfortably snuck in the ball in past Wesleyan goalkeeper Sarah Hammond ’22, notching her second goal of the game. Less than two minutes later, the Red and Black attempted to cut down the deficit, with a cross from Argento. However, the one-timer from Andi Wiley ’22 went just wide left, keeping the game 2-0.

“The biggest takeaway is that we should stay confident in our ability and our style of play because when we play our game, we are very successful,” Ribatt said.

Cher Qin, Assistant Photo Editor

Tufts had an opportunity to extend their lead to 3-0 at the 73:00 mark following a corner kick by Reed. But this opportunity was denied by Hammond, who leapt in to punch the ball out of the box. The Cardinals had their last chance to tack a tally in the scoreboard at the 78th minute, when Zoe Oasis ’21 chipped the ball over the top to Shay Crotty ’22. Crotty and Brewer both went up in the air for a 50/50 ball, but Brewer was able to take the ball in her hands, denying the Cardinals a last-minute opportunity to score while preserving a clean sheet.

Despite the disappointing results of the game, the Red and Black’s fifth-seed ranking and appearance in the postseason should already be considered a major accomplishment for a team that is suffering from multiple injuries. Every senior on the team has been injured at some point this season, some of which have been season-ending cases.

“The lows of the season would definitely be how many players ended up getting injured,” Argento said. “It was really sad to see so many injuries ending seasons, especially for key players. But also, it was inspiring to see how other players stepped up and were willing to play in unfamiliar positions.”

However, the season isn’t necessarily over for the Cardinals. Their fate is currently in the hands of the NCAA.

“The NCAA bid is up in the air at this moment,” Argento said. “It all depends now on how many teams from the NESCAC they want to invite. There is a chance though.”

Whether the Cardinals do or do not receive a bid will likely not change the outlook on the season, which was a breakout one. Even after injuries to star players, the Red and Black topped No. 11 Amherst for the first time since 1993. After missing the playoffs last year, the team has to be proud of a 2018 campaign that exceeded expectations.

Franklin Ribli can be reached at fribli@wesleyan.edu.