On an unseasonably warm and humid Saturday afternoon, the women’s soccer teams from Wesleyan and Colby College were forced to fight the elements, and ultimately it was the Cards that came out on top with more energy and endurance.
“We definitely had a good intensity about us,” said Marcia Whitehead ’08. “It was such a hot day that it really came down to who was willing to battle harder.”
The 2-1 win over Colby gives Wesleyan its first tally in the NESCAC win column, moving the team to 1-4 in the conference and 2-7 overall.
The team was much more composed on the field, playing as a cohesive unit on defense and cleanly finishing scoring chances on offense. The result was an important win that has the potential to turn this season around.
The defense played exceptionally well, preventing Colby’s offense from unloading shot after shot on goal. In fact, Gavi Elkind ’09 played the entire game in the net and only faced two shots on goal, making one save to preserve the one-goal victory.
“Our team defense was excellent,” Whitehead said. “When we stay compact and stop the ball higher up on the field we play our best soccer.”
Colby could not keep up with Wesleyan in the first half. Sam Blank ’09 put her team ahead in the first ten minutes in the game, trapping a pass from Elena Bertocci ’09 and firing it past the keeper. Kaitlin Ashley ’11 doubled the lead on a low feed from Nicole Gray ’08, handing the Cards a comfortable 2-0 advantage at the half.
Wesleyan’s attack had been struggling to produce goals in the past few weeks. The team was either not attempting enough shots on goal or else failing to capitalize on scoring opportunities. This weekend the Cards racked up 16 shots, but more importantly, nine of those shots were on goal. Even more importantly, two of them found the back of the net.
“In the first half we did a great job demanding that Colby play the pace we wanted,” Whitehead said, “and in the second half it really just came down to playing with heart.”
Wesleyan kept the shutout going until late in the game when the Cards slipped up and Colby took advantage of a loose ball at the top of box, beating Elkind for its first goal of the game. It was not enough, however, as the Cardinals captured their second win of the season.
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