The Wesleyan women’s soccer team lost its third consecutive game Saturday to a talented Middlebury team, by a score of 2-1. This loss marks the fourth time this season the Cardinals have lost a game by one goal. Middlebury improved its record to 3-1-1 (2-1 NESCAC) while the Cards fell to 1-4 (0-3 NESCAC).
On offense continued the team struggled to get things going. Although there were many points during the match where Wesleyan showed good ball movement, they struggled to finish shots. Taylor Stevenson ’10 played a great game in the midfield, controlling the action in the center of the field and lofting a number of dangerous passes forward. While Stevenson and the rest of the midfield created solid opportunities, the Cards failed to score more than once for the fifth time this season.
Wesleyan came out strong in the first half, pressuring the Middlebury defense and getting a couple of early scoring chances. However, Middlebury drew first blood, heading a corner-kick just past the reach of Wesleyan goalie Gavi Elkind ’09. Neither team scored again during the rest of the first half and the Cards went into halftime trailing 1-0.
Intense midfield play dominated the second half action, with a multitude of aggressive challenges coming from both sides. Middlebury finished the game with seven fouls, while Wesleyan committed six.
The Cardinals shifted their strategy in the second half. Coach Eva Meredith moved the team from their standard 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3, substituting a forward for a midfielder.
“This was to match up more successfully with their midfield and also to get a little more offensive in the second half,” captain Marcia Whitehead ’08 explained.
The realignment proved effective, and the Cardinals scored the equalizer in the 55th minute on an unassisted goal from Kaitlin Ashley ’11. Ashley fired home a shot from way out for her second goal of the season. Wesleyan picked up their intensity very quickly, clearly gaining momentum after tying the game.
It was a short-lived push, however, and Middlebury regained control of the contest and took the lead 17 minutes after Wesleyan’s goal. A Middlebury midfielder recovered a loose ball and passed it forward to Nora Weintaub, who deftly sent it past Wesleyan keeper Andrea Giuliano ’09. With 27 minutes to play, the Cardinals once again found themselves down by a goal.
With the lead in hand, Middlebury tightened their defense down the stretch, and balls played into the Middlebury box were quickly sent back. Whitehead made a number of great defensive plays on the other end of the field to keep Wesleyan in the game, blocking a shot late in the game. However, the Cardinals failed to execute on offense despite a valiant effort and dropped their third straight game.
The Cards will look to stop their skid when they travel to 9th ranked Western Connecticut State University on Wednesday.
Leave a Reply