A cold but rowdy crowd gathered at North Field last Sunday to welcome their boys home and finally watch the men’s soccer team kick up their own turf. The weather was chilly but the Cardinals were hot, defeating the Trinity Bantams 1-0 and earning their first NESCAC victory.
As the squad took to the pitch, the intensity could be felt. Wesleyan opened big and dominated play for the entire first half. Good control and precise passes between the midfielders and forwards kept the ball in Cardinal possession, pressuring Trinity’s defense.
The ball remained in the neighborhood, yet never reached the back of the net as missed opportunities on crosses piled up, and as the Bantam defense smothered Cardinal forwards inside the box. Several key exchanges between midfielders Mike Ryan ’05 and co-captain Evan Bissell ’05 along with five corners in 25 minutes of play flustered Trinity’s defense. Without a forward to finish the job, however, Wesleyan once again demonstrated a weakness in the scoring department.
Trinity’s keeper had much to do with the frustration. He played it big and made several key stops in the first half, including stopping a penalty shot that seemed to breathe momentum into the Bantams.
The second half mirrored the first until Trinity gained confidence about 10 minutes in and began picking up speed. A deflected shot almost put the visitors ahead, but an outstanding save by co-captain Dan Penrod ’05 kept the scoreless tie intact.
“I applaud my defense,” Penrod said. “They played with a lot of heart during some difficult moments, except for Julian [Canzoneri ’07], who seemed to be playing with a lot of spleen.”
Although the Red and Black were strong defensively, the trouble seemed to be in keeping the ball on their end of the pitch long enough to create more scoring opportunities. The Bantams defense continued to increase the pressure on the Cards, which made it a truly exciting game to watch.
Finally everything came together for the Cards at the 85 minute mark. Peter Glidden ’07, who had been waiting to receive crosses the entire game, took matters into his own hands and delivered a perfect ball across to Ryan, who touched it by the Trinity goalie, and Morgan Owen ’07 banged it into the back of the net to garner the 1-0 lead.
“It appears that Morgan continued his rash of beating people for what was rightfully theirs, both on the field and at team dinners where he eats all the pasta,” Canzoneri said.
The Bantams continued to put pressure on the Cardinal defense until the final seconds of the game, keeping everyone in the crowd on the edge of their seats. The Cards held on, earning their second shutout in a row, and their first win in NESCAC play.
“It’s exciting to string a few shutouts together, and we hope to keep it going against a tough Middlebury team,” Penrod said.
The Cardinals play at Middlebury College this Saturday at noon. The Bobcats boast a 3-0 (2-0 NESCAC) record and are in a tie for first in the conference.
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