c/o Wesleyan Athletics

On Tuesday, September 12, Wesleyan men’s soccer faced off against defending NESCAC champions No. 5 Tufts. The previous weekend, Wes defeated Colby in a back-and-forth battle that became seriously exciting in the final moments. The excitement began with a 77th-minute goal from the penalty spot by Dane Harmaty ’24, putting the Cards up 3–2 and giving them their first lead of the game.

However, the lead did not last long, as Colby came quickly down the other end and drew a soft penalty just 30 seconds later; they finished the attempt, and the game was once again tied as the clock wound down. The tie breaker, and game winner, began with a little tiki-taka down the right line, a centering pass into the box by Phillip Cubeddu ’23, and a class one touch finish by Soren Tollis ’25, all in the 81st minute. Wes went on to put on a good defensive show to finish out the game and begin their NESCAC season 1–0. 

Max Hofstetter ’24 credited the win to the team’s strength in tough situations.

“I think the game versus Colby really showed our resiliency and willingness to go through pain to see the results we need,” Hofstetter said. “It wasn’t the most defensively sound performance. We gave up three goals, and there hasn’t been a game in our coach’s 24-year career [where] that has happened, and Wesleyan still won, but that being said we still came out on top and that takes a lot.”

Against Tufts, Wesleyan struggled in the first half, allowing Tufts to dictate the game early and putting Wesleyan on the back foot. However, this was brought to a close by a stray lightning bolt, which halted play for the prescribed 30 minutes. When play resumed, the Cards, sporting slick black long-sleeve jerseys with a cardinal-red collar, were reinvigorated. The front line held a good press and the ball bounced around in front of the Tufts goal several times, waiting for a Wes player to direct it into the back of the net, but Tufts lucked out a few times and cleared the ball at the last second, keeping the score 0–0 for most of the half.

Down on Wesleyan’s defensive end, Tufts rarely had proper possession, and the times they did and got a shot off, Liam Devanny ’23 came up with a spectacular stop, including one leaping save of a ball that was curling sharply right and dropping quickly. The big break for Wesleyan again happened in the 81st minute, when a set-piece opportunity found the head of Evan O’Brien ’24, whose slight redirection squeezed past Tufts’ sprawling goalie.

Wesleyan’s win against Tufts elevated Wes to a 2­–0 NESCAC record, soundly on top of the conference tables. Although it is early in the season, the two wins mark a hopeful beginning for a talented squad.

“Tufts was ranked fifth in the nation going into that game,” Hofstetter said. “Historically, Wesleyan is playing for a tie. Yes, everyone wants to win, but essentially everyone is playing for a tie. But we’ve just proven to Tufts and the rest of the league what we knew ourselves, that we are a force to be reckoned with. We have the quality, the will, and the strength.”

Last year, Wesleyan finished fifth in the conference and just missed out on an entry into the NCAA tournament, which is awarded to the top four teams in the NESCAC. While it is far too early in the season to make any grand predictions, the solid start the Cards have made for themselves is as good a sign as anyone hoped for.

When asked about how the team will capitalize on its strengths in the coming weeks, Ethan Barrett ’24 pointed to its persistent play style.

“We play for us,” Barrett said. “We play on the ground with one and two touches, a creative brand that catches teams in transition and punishes by playing around them. We press ruthlessly, which causes many teams to become uncomfortable. We have a rapid style of possession and a very gritty chip on the shoulder when it comes to 50-50s, and you need that in this league.”

On Saturday, Sept. 17, at 12 p.m., Wesleyan will host Brandeis University in a non-conference game at Jackson Field. The only time these two teams have matched up was in 1990, when the Cards won 2–1. The next NESCAC game will be at Trinity on September 24, and the next home NESCAC game will be against Middlebury on October 1 at Jackson Field. In the coming days, the early-season unknowns will become midseason grooves, and hopefully, it will be a groove of winning.  

Eli Seaver can be reached at eseaver@wesleyan.edu.