c/o Wesleyan Athletics
The women’s soccer team’s historic start to the season continued as the team increased their record to 6–0 (4–0 in the NESCAC) this season with victories over Bowdoin and Tufts last week.
In the Sept. 25 game against the Polar Bears, the Cards once again scored first as Audrey Lavey ’23 slotted her second goal of the season off a pass across the box from Grace Devanny ’23 to put the Red and Black ahead. The duo then connected again just two minutes later, as Lavey added another goal off an assist from Devanny to put Wesleyan up by two. Bowdoin was able to cut the lead to 2–1 nine minutes later, before Kate Hausladen ’23 scored the Cardinals’ third goal of the game to restore the two-goal lead right before the half. After halftime, Bowdoin cut the lead to 3–2, but the Red and Black hung on to secure the 3–2 win. On the stat sheet, Wesleyan outshot Bowdoin 16–13, and in the net, Sarah Hammond ’22 made five saves. This victory propelled the Cards to their highest national ranking in program history at #12. In addition, because of her two-goal effort, Lavey was named NESCAC Player of the Week.
Following the win over Bowdoin, Wesleyan went on the road on Sept. 28 and defeated the thirteenth-ranked Jumbos in a hard-fought 3–1 victory in wet conditions. Like they have done in every game so far this year, the Cards scored first against Tufts, this time with a goal from Lavey, who currently leads the team in scoring efforts with 4 goals in the season. Lavey’s goal put the Cards up 1–0. However, Tufts was able to respond quickly and tied the game up with a goal just over six minutes later. The game remained equal until Devanny found the back of the net with just under seven minutes to go in the half, securing a 2–1 lead for the Cards.
In the second half, the Red and Black increased their lead as Ally Stanton ’24 scored her second goal of the season, putting the Cards ahead 3–1. They were able to hold the Jumbos off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game and secure the crucial road victory. As a team, the Cards were outshot 12–8, but Hammond stood tall in net, making three saves. The win was the first for the team on the road against the Jumbos since 1996, and their 4–0 start in conference play is the best in program history.
Lavey was ecstatic with the team’s play across the last two games.
“In the past couple of games, we have definitely proved to ourselves that, even if we don’t play our best soccer, we have the skill and work ethic to pull out a win,” Lavey said. “Knowing that will be important for us going into the second half of our NESCAC games.”
In particular, Lavey highlighted the game against Tufts as being one of their best performances this season.
“The Tufts game had spells of some of our best soccer. As soon as we were able to settle down and get a feel for the wet turf, we strung together some great plays, both offensively and defensively. The rain definitely made the game feel very frantic, especially at the beginning of the second half when we were up 2–1 and they had us backed into our defensive half. The key to getting through those conditions was definitely to remain calm and keep the ball on the ground as much as possible because that’s where we were dominating.”
Devanny highlighted this team effort as being vital to the unprecedented success they’ve had at the beginning of this season.
“I don’t think there is one key to our historic start of the season,” Devanny said. “Everyone on the team brings something special to the table that is helping our team be successful and win games.”
Next up, the Cards look to continue their undefeated run as they take on Mount Holyoke on Oct. 6 in a non-conference showdown on the road. The match will take place on Wednesday, before the Red and Black return home to take on Amherst in another Little Three matchup on Saturday. The Cardinals will look to defend their Little Three title, which they captured for the first time in 37 years in 2019. Heading into these games, Devanny noted that the team could not afford complacency.
“I think the key to continue this high level is to not get comfortable,” Devanny said. “We need to keep pushing ourselves to continue to get better and grow as a team.”
David Gottlieb can be reached at dgottlieb@wesleyan.edu