c/o Wesleyan Athletics

After a succession of three away games with a record of 0–1–2, men’s soccer continued their NESCAC campaign with two consecutive, bumpy home wins, improving to an overall record of 4–2–1 and a NESCAC record of 2–2–1. Wesleyan played Trinity and Bowdoin on Sept. 22 and 25, respectively.

The Cardinals kicked off their home stand with a tight 1–0 win versus the Trinity Bantams. The opening minutes foreshadowed the tough competition that the Cardinals would face throughout the game, as the Bantams started the game with pressure, setting their defense in the midfield. Amid the defensive force, distressed Cardinal playmakers were not able to take control of the ball. Upfront pestering from the Bantam defense triggered incomplete passes, resulting in the first ten minutes taking place mostly in the Cardinal half with Trinity in control. Led by Lucas Ruehlemann ’25, the Cards’ midfield tried to reciprocate the pressure with long balls, but the Hail Marys were drowned by Trinity’s populated, disciplined defense. During these minutes, the Bantams’ Michael Traynor dominated the right wing, displaying footwork and ball-handling skills to keep attacking the Cardinals upfront. My pick for Wesleyan’s man of the match, Lucas Kimball ’22, responded to the Trinity pressure singlehandedly, taking valuable responsibility by becoming the bridge between the Cardinal offense and defense.

Kimball’s productive efforts finally led to a shot on goal in the 11th minute. For the first time in the game, a Cardinal player met the ball in the Bantam penalty box for the first attack of the game. This prompted much-needed Wesleyan dominance in the upcoming minutes of the game, as the positioning on the field seemed to reverse from the first ten minutes. With the offensive style prospering, Kimball, with the support of Ruehlmann and Dane Harmaty ’24, took control on the field. Though Kimball had a great performance for the Cards, his offensive dominance began to pose a problem in itself, as his teammates started to rely on him more and more in the offense outside his playing position. In addition to the reliance on Kimball, easy turnovers during transition passes from offense to defense made the Cardinals their own biggest obstacle. No real chances were created for either team as the first half came to an end. 

As the second half kicked off, coach Geoff Wheeler marked his presence with intense tactical decisions; after being subbed off in the 30th minute, Zach Wheeler ’25 was subbed back on to the game at the right wing rather than his original left wing position. Coach Wheeler’s discreet changes proved to be effective as the Cardinals, led by Kimball, started the second half with pressure on the ball, which resulted in a critical scoring chance in the game.

At the 55th minute, a hustle header past the opposing defense from Wheeler allowed Harmaty to pick the ball up for a one-on-one chance. However, Bantams keeper Bernardo Simoes slapped the ball to the post and quickly recovered the second position in an agile fashion. The Cards didn’t hold back after the missing chance as Harmaty and Wheeler dominated the right wing, presenting the offensive force that the Red and Black needed in the first half. With 25 minutes left on the clock, in a two-on-one counterattack for the Cardinals, Jake Lundberg ’23 failed to convert the ball to the opposite wing for a potential scoring chance for Harmaty. Amid the intense pressure, the Bantams reciprocated by holding the ball in the defensive line and the midfield, ultimately denying themselves the offensive chances to take the lead. 

As the last 10 minutes appeared on the horizon, Wheeler had two consecutive shot attempts, neither of which found the back of the net. In the 81st minute, Wheeler crossed the ball from the ground to Matthew Rubinstein ’23, who volleyed the ball to the right corner for the Cardinals to take the lead 1–0 with only eight minutes to go in full time. 

In the final minutes of the game, neither team had any great chances. However, as compared to the previous games, the Cardinals were much more disciplined as a team after the goal. All 11 players sustained a balance in which the team prioritized defense, but not to the extent that the players’ position leaned back and allowed tides of offensive pressure. The win over Trinity secured three points for the Cardinals toward their NESCAC standings. 

The Cardinals continued their NESCAC campaign with a hard-fought battle versus the Bowdoin Polar Bears at Jackson Field. The first half of the game kicked off with back-and-forth offensive attempts from both teams, but the Cardinals were able to benefit from pressure as multiple shots were sent to test Polar Bears goalkeeper Michael Webber. Rubinstein sent two effective shots to the goal in the first 20 minutes, but one was denied by Webber and the other struck the post. Bowdoin replied with three shots that found their mark in the span of the first half, but all were saved by my man of the match and recent NESCAC player of the week, goalkeeper Liam Devanny ’23. In the remaining minutes of the half, first-year Chris Porte ’25 showed dominance, although his multiple attempts to find the net from long shots were denied by opposing keeper Webber. In the last possession of the first half, the Polar Bears’ Kai DiGrande attempted a shot on the Cardinal goal, but Devanny once again denied the attempt, ultimately securing a clean sheet going into halftime. 

Devanny continued to build a wall in the goal as the second half went on. However, a change of fortune occurred in the 65th minute; Porte crossed the ball to Rubenstein for a slight pass to Harmaty, who shot a low strike to the right corner for the first and only goal of the battle. Ponte topped the 90-minute performance with effective shots and an assist, showing promise for the Cardinals’ attacking line in future games. In the remaining minutes of the game, the Cardinals once again displayed a disciplined, strong defense, which protected Devanny from having to make additional saves. The Polar Bears attempted multiple crosses for a potential goal, but the Red and Black’s effective use of physical discipline prevented a late equalizer. 

Both games were tight contests for the Cardinals that developed into three points with late-game winners. In the game versus the Bantams, Kimball facilitated both the defense and the offensive attacks with dribbles from the first to the second zone of the field. Though impressive, Kimball’s tendency to build up attacks in the midfield marks a problem itself for the Cardinals. As a central defensive midfielder, it’s not necessarily Kimball’s job to act as a point guard, distributing the ball and setting up scoring opportunities. As a result, the offensive-midfield weakness of the Cardinals prevents higher scoring games and safer wins, and requires high performances like those of Kimball and Devanny to secure victories. Despite midfield weakness, the Cards displayed impressive defensive resistance against their NESCAC competitors. Trinity and Bowdoin had no chance with Devanny in net.

In future games, the Cardinals will face tougher opponents, like Amherst on October 9th. The Mammoths hold a dominating 8–2 record versus Wesleyan in the last 10 matchups. With better offensive discipline and more support to Kimball by players such as Ruehlmann, the strong Wesleyan defense will hopefully protect a larger lead, giving the Cards a greater margin for error. 

Alp Yucel can be reached at ayucel@wesleyan.edu.