The cold that rolled into New England on Saturday did not bother the men’s soccer team—they had their hands full with archrival Amherst. The Cardinals and Lord Jeffs battled all afternoon at Amherst, but neither team could find the back of the net and the game ended in a scoreless tie after two overtime periods.
For the Cardinals, it was their third straight tie, which extends their unbeaten streak to seven games (4-0-3). On the streak, they have outscored their opponents 13-5. Overall, Wesleyan stands 6-2-3, with a 3-2-2 mark in the NESCAC.
Still, the Cards are far from satisfied with just a tie.
“As the legendary football coach Bear Bryant once said: ‘Tying is like kissing your sister,’” said Josh Stephens ’07. “No one likes to do it.”
Starting goaltender Matt Gnall ’08 had the chance to make three saves before coming out in the 52 second minute due to injury. Jamie Hiteshew ’08 came in to make four saves to preserve the scoreless tie.
Despite the low scoring output, neither offense lacked for chances in regulation and 2 overtimes. Both teams had shots off the crossbar, and the shot total for the game was 10-9 in Wesleyan’s favor.
The return of Chris Keeler ’07 could not have come at a better time as his replacement the past few weeks, Jared Ashe ’07, was injured this week during practice. Ashe, a transplanted forward playing defense, had been one huge reason for the Cardinals recent success.
Regardless of who plays in the center back position, the defensive unit has done a remarkable job this season, especially on some of the most explosive goal scorers in the league. Justin Mello ’08 and Alan Ashenfelter ’09 use their speed and quickness on the outside to run down opposing through-balls and prevent crosses, while David Baharestani ’07, Ashe, and Keeler consistently clear headballs out of the box using physicality and positioning.
“Jamie had a big game coming off the bench and making some big saves, but it was disappointing that we couldn’t put one away and come out with the win,” Nevin said.
Despite the team’s solid play and recent streak, the standard was set early in the season for higher performance, which everyone on the team recognizes.
“Tying the last three games has been frustrating, but we are looking ahead to Tufts and Bowdoin this week,” said Co-captain Kevin Lohela ’06.
The first half was marked by stingy defense on both sides, though the Jeffs’ Adrien de Bronting ’06 showed just how dangerous he can be. His blast from twenty-five yards out beat Gnall, but luckily for Wesleyan, hit the crossbar, thus preserving the tie.
As the second half went on, Wesleyan came on stronger. Chris Brown ’07 had a wonderful opportunity when he took a feed from Matt Nevin ’09, but the outstretched keeper managed to tip the breakaway chance just wide.
In overtime, Nevin took one himself, but his volley inside the eighteen went off the crossbar. At the other end, Hiteshew made a highlight-reel play, diving to deflect a header off a corner kick that appeared headed for the top corner of the net.
“It was disappointing to get injured and have to come out of such a big game but I was excited to see Hiteshew come up with a couple of huge saves, including one that even tested his eagle-like wingspan,” Gnall said.
The Jeffs played the entire overtime down one man because of a red card near the end of regulation. In spite of this, they managed three shots on goal, and Amherst goalie Jeff Grover was not forced to make any saves.
“The depth of our team was evident from the beginning of the season; it’s paying off now in the final regular season stretch, and I know it will carry us deep into the post season,” Lohela said.
Lohela’s statement is proven by the seven players on the team who have at least one goal, and the fact that all twenty-three players on the roster have played at least one game. The big-time performances of many members of the Classes of 2008 and 2009 have relieved much of the pressure from the upperclassmen to carry the team.
This week, Wesleyan plays Tufts at home at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, and NESCAC rival Bowdoin away Saturday at 11 a.m.
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