Despite a national day of mourning, the women’s Cardinal soccer team kicked off its season Saturday in Williamstown, MA against NESCAC and Little Three rival Williams. Although they fell by a score of 4-0, the squad made a game of it, holding the Ephs scoreless for most of the second half.
Goalie Kelly McFarling ’05, stayed busy Saturday, making 14 saves. Despite her strong play, the Purple Cows scored three goals. The first came in the fifth minute of the first half as Williams player Kate Harkey slid a pass over to Brittany Esty for the score. The score held steady for almost 15 minutes, until Lindsay Dwyer found the back of the net. Dwyer tallied the third Williams’ goal six minutes later.
“It was unfortunate that the opening game was against a top conference contestant,” said new head coach Eva Bergsten-Meredith. “Williams is a very good team and even at our best it would have been a tough game.”
The second half was another story. The Red and Black slowed Williams’ attack, taking much-needed pressure off McFarling. Co-captain Amanda Binns ’05 and Delia Mueller ’07 anchored a stifling defense, which kept the goal empty until the final 30 seconds of the match, when Esty kicked her second goal through.
Wesleyan had difficulty getting scoring chances of its own, as the Ephs held the Cards to just five shots.
Expect continued improvement throughout the season from this unit as it learns the tactics that helped Bergsten-Meredith lead University of Hartford’s squads to five berths in the NCAA Division I Championships.
“We need to get in game shape and work some more on our attack,” Bergsten-Meredith said. “Defensively we need to be more aggressive in our own 18-yard box and step to the ball quicker.”
The women play twice this week. On Monday, they faced off on the U.S. Coast Guard pitch. Wednesday they play their first home match against Mount Holyoke.
The coach expressed optimism for Monday’s contest.
“I’m hoping [the Coast Guard] game will be an even game with more chances on goal,” Bergsten-Meredith said. “We will build on the Williams game as we play.”
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