The Women’s soccer team remains in control of its own playoff destiny, despite slipping to 5-6-2 (3-4 NESCAC) with two losses and a tie in the past two weeks. The Cards currently hold seventh place in the NESCAC standings with just two conference games remaining on the schedule.
Last Tuesday the Cards headed to Medford, Massachusetts for a difficult midweek road game against Tufts. The two teams entered the contest tied for fifth in the NESCAC, and were both coming off conference wins. Tufts dominated the contest and won 2-0, out-shooting the Cards 14-2 in the first half alone.
Marissa Trevisan ’09 recorded two of the Cards’ three shots on goal, including their best chance of the contest, which came midway through the first half. Wesleyan goalkeeper Gavi Elkind ’09 gave the Cards another quality start in goal, keeping the game close with eight first-half saves.
This past weekend, the Cards traveled to Maine to take on conference rival Bates for a game heavy with playoff implications. Both teams held 3-3 NESCAC records prior to the contest. Although Elkind and the Cardinal back four held strong throughout the match, Bates dominated possession and emerged with a 1-0 victory
Bates picked up its goal off of a corner kick in the sixteenth minute. Elkind punched the incoming corner kick towards the top of the box, where Bates midfielder Ali Emery fired a shot that deflected off a Wesleyan defender and into the net.
The Cards found chances of their own on several dangerous counterattacks, but Bobcats’ goalkeeper Mia Lidofsky kept Wesleyan off the board with seven saves. On the opposite end, Elkind finished with 10 saves in the losing effort.
Tuesday, Wes played its final out-of-conference game against Eastern Connecticut State University. The Cards’ tight defense shut out ECSU, the tenth ranked team in the region, but the team settled for a 0-0 double-overtime tie. Elkind continued her impressive play in goal, recording eight saves, six of which came in the second half.
The Cards’ recent offensive struggles continued against ECSU. While they are creating opportunities, the team has had difficulty finishing. Nicole Gray ’08 gave Wes their best opportunity of the game Tuesday, heading a Sam Blank ’09 corner towards net, only to see the ball cleared off the line by an ECSU defender stationed on the near post.
The tie marked the fifth time in the past eight games the Cards have failed to find the back of the net.
The defense, meanwhile, continues to shine. Sarah Orkin ’09 and Beth Kenworthy ’10 have anchored a defense that has given up just seven goals in the same eight-game span, while Taylor Stevenson ’10 provides the Cards a confident presence in the center of the midfield.
“Our defense is solid with a great mix of speed and strength. We all work extremely well together and have made incredible improvements from last season. When we play up to our potential, I feel our defense is nearly impenetrable,” Orkin said.
Since a season-opening loss to Williams, the Cards have allowed only two opponents to score more than once, for a stellar 0.72 goals against average in eleven games. Elkind sports a 0.07 GAA and 0.92 save percentage in 515 minutes of work.
The defense must continue to perform well over the final two games of the season against Amherst and Bowdoin.
“The defense has definitely been looking strong lately,” Elkind said. “We’ve been trying some new formations, and we’re settling down into our own defensive game. Bates was a disappointing loss for us, but the game against ECSU was much more promising. We’re looking forward to the last two games of our regular season with high hopes; this weekend is huge for us, and we’d really like to come out with wins against both Amherst and Bowdoin.”
The Cards face Amherst on Saturday. A win over the Lord Jeffs, who sit atop the conference standings, would provide the Cards a slight edge in the standings over Bowdoin heading into the final game of the regular season next weekend.
The match up between the Cards and the Bowdoin will most likely determine which of the two teams goes through to the NESCAC playoffs.
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