The magic ride that has been the men’s soccer team’s 2005 season isn’t over just yet. NESCAC Rookie of the Year Matt Nevin ’09 had a hand in all three goals as the Cardinals beat Muhlenberg College (PA) 3-2 in OT in the first round the Division III NCAA tournament.
“The game was back and forth for 90 minutes,” said forward Chris Brown ’07. “We just had more heart which allowed us to close the game quickly in overtime without them getting a sniff on goal.”
The Cardinals went up 1-0 when Nevin picked up a ball, which had been misplayed by a Muhlenberg defender, ran down the left side and netted a sharp-angle shot.
Muhlenberg tied the game when Karim Assous put in a header off a cross from Christopher King for his fourth goal of the season.
But the Cards struck again early in the second half, as Nevin hit Peter Glidden ’07 with a cross that Glidden headed in for his first goal of the season.
The 2-1 advantage was nearly good enough to put away the seventh-ranked team in the mid-Atlantic region. Keeper Matt Gnall ’08 turned away three shots in the second half, but with less than three minutes to go in regulation, King sniped a one-timer into the upper right corner to tie the game.
At this point, many teams would have been in disbelief at giving up the tying goal in a national tournament game that late, but as has been the case all year, Wesleyan never gave a thought to throwing in the towel.
Just over three minutes into overtime, Nevin found himself alone again with the Muhlenberg goalie. He came down the left side and found the back of the net, giving the Cardinals the victory and a berth in the round of thirty-two.
With the win, Wesleyan picked up its third OT victory of the season while suffering no losses in the extra period. This just reaffirms the clutch play and winning mentality the team has carried throughout the season.
Wesleyan has now won three straight one-goal victories in the post-season, and Nevin has picked up five goals to take over the team lead with eight. He has two goals in each of the last two games.
“Sometimes I feel like it’s like David and Goliath, but I believe in my team so much,” said Co-captain Noah Isaacs ’07. “We’ll work with whatever is put in front of us. NESCAC or NCAA, we’ve been handling our business.”
On Saturday, Wesleyan will face Messiah, the top-ranked team in the country and the defending national champions, who have lost only two players from last year. But the Cardinals know they can find a way to win.
“Now we go down to Messiah on Saturday with a tremendous opportunity to stand toe-to-toe with the best team in the country and if they dare underestimate us they are going to have some sad looks on their faces in church on Sunday,” Gnall said.
The battle begins Saturday at 6 p.m. in Grantham, Penn.
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