The Cardinals showed their strength and character this weekend in a long, wet, and tiring match, battling Colby to a 2-2 tie. The Cardinals were down 2-0 for the first hour of the game on Long Lane Field until a goal from tri-captain Sarah Hopkins ’06 gave them hope for a comeback.
The Cardinals were on a mental high note after their big win against Mitchell College on Wednesday. But they were quickly put on the back foot when Libba Cox of Colby scored the opening goal of the game in the 16th minute. Despite their attempts to break down the Mules’ back line, the Cardinals were put down 2-0 in the 54th minute.
The determination not to give up led the team to rally. Hopkins, assisted by Laura Fine’08 and Marissa Trevisan’09, put the Cardinals on the board in the second half. The constant defensive pressure applied by the team forced the Colby goalkeeper to knock her own clearing kick back into the net, giving Wesleyan its second game-tying goal.
“Considering the tough conditions we played a good game,” said head coach Eva Bergsten-Meredith. “The wind was definitely a factor and Colby had the better of the game in the first half. But our team came back and played well during the second half”
During both periods of overtime, Andrea Guiliano’09 saved the Cardinals from conceding a game-winning goal to the Mules. Guiliano, who has consistently been showing great abilities and promise for the team in the past 4 games, was yet again the hero of the game making 17 saves during the entire game. The Cardinals were on the defensive all the time during overtime having only one chance to threaten the Colby goal.
The players attributed the good final result against a tough opponent to their hard training before the game and their determination.
“Everyone was pushing themselves to be more intense in the practices prior to the game,” said Samantha Blank ’09. “The ‘switch was turned on’ so to speak. We battled hard and never let the conditions affect our intensity.”
Blank scored a goal against Mitchell on Wednesday and had 2 shots on goal this game.
The Cardinals next face a powerful Tufts team on Tuesday. Despite the fact that it will be a very tough game, the players are hopeful that they will turn in a strong performance. The past two games, against Mitchell and Colby have been a lift for the team’s performance and morale.
“The game against Colby was a step in the right direction for our team.” said Laura Fine ’08, who, along with Trevisan, assisted the opening goal for Hopkins. “We have been working with our coach on being intense for the entirety of a game, which translated on Saturday. Tufts is at the top of the league, but it should be a battle because we are a team that is now willing to play to the end.”
If the Cardinals can keep up their motivation and their level of performance in the game against Tufts, they will definitely be the team smiling at the end.
“If we keep the intensity up, our team will only get stronger and our level of play will only become faster and more aggressive,” Blank said. “We have the skills to beat many teams in NESCAC, we just have to put them to use.”
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