Wesleyan traveled to Amherst on Saturday, looking to keep a foot in the door of the NESCAC playoffs. Understanding that a loss meant the end of all postseason dreams, the Cards pulled out a 2-2 draw in double overtime against a very strong Amherst team. The tie moves the Cards to 3-9-1 overall (2-5-1 NESCAC) and sitting in a tie for seventh in the NESCAC standings.
Andrea Giuliano ’09 was a force in the net, coming up with a number of huge plays for her team. Amherst threw everything except the kitchen sink at Giuliano, spraying 33 shots in her direction. Giuliano finished with 10 saves, a season high.
“Their biggest strengths are their athleticism and the fact that they always attack with numbers,” captain Laura Fine ’08 said of the Amherst team.
Wesleyan got on the scoreboard before the three-minute mark. Following a foul in the box, the Cards seized the early 1-0 lead when Sam Blank ’09 took full advantage of a penalty kick.
Amherst bounced back before the half, however, as the Lord Jeffs responded with a goal off of a loose ball in the box in the 29th minute, tying the game at 1-1.
In the second half, Kaitlin Ashley ’11 and Sam Blank ’09 collaborated on a well executed play, moving the ball swiftly past the Amherst defense and putting Nicole Gray ’08 in position to finish. Ashley drove the ball up the field, Blank flicked the ball forward with a controlled header, and Gray knocked it in to give the Cards a 2-1 lead.
“We had some great attacks, possessing from the back and working the ball up the field,” Fine said. “Our forwards created some of the best chances on goal we have seen all season.”
Unfortunately, Amherst scored on a cross to tie it up with less than five minutes left in regulation, sending the game into overtime. After two scoreless ten-minute overtime periods, the game ended in a draw.
The tie gives the Cards a chance to make it to the NESCAC playoffs for the first time in team history. At 2-5-1 in conference play, Wesleyan is tied for seventh with Connecticut College and competing for the final playoff spot.
The Cards will travel to Maine on Friday evening before their Saturday morning contest against Bowdoin. Bowdoin currently sits in fourth place in the conference with a NESCAC record of 5-3; a victory for the Polar Bears will assure them a home playoff game on Sunday.
Because of Wesleyan’s double overtime loss to Conn. College earlier this season, Conn. College will advance to the playoffs in the event that the two teams finish the season with the same record. Heading into the final game of the season, the Cards need a win or a tie over Bowdoin coupled with a Conn. College loss to Tufts to make it into the conference tournament.
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