The men’s soccer team scored early and then held on for a 1-0 win against a shaky Western Connecticut State University at Jackson Field on Wednesday.
In the wake of a harsh 4-0 loss at Williams the previous weekend, coach Geoff Wheeler instituted several changes. Starting keeper Nigel Stacey ’11 got the afternoon off, as Tucker Morgan ’12 took the start in goal before being replaced by Nick Boskovich ’10 at the half.
In addition, the Cards decided to play a 4-5-1 formation, playing with a “sitting” striker to bolster the midfield-a factor that contributed to keeping the Colonials scoreless all afternoon. The offense didn’t suffer from the formation change, however, as the home team piled on chances throughout the match, controlling the game and possessing the ball for the majority of the contest.
The first half saw a 9-0 shot differential, as the Cards took advantage of a soft, leaky Western Conn. backfield. They set up a shooting gallery on Colonial netminder Dan Michalowski, who played commendably, notching 10 saves on the day to keep his team within a goal.
Wesleyan took the lead early as Geoff Zartarian ’11, using his head to redirect a pass sent in from outside the box by Woody Redpath ’10, buried home his second goal of the season just 3:13 into the opening half.
Ahead 1-0, the Cards continued to get chances on net, but couldn’t finish to cushion their lead. Both teams took advantage of what can only be described as relaxed officiating, playing intense, physical soccer for the duration of the first half with very little intervention on the part of the referee.
Western Conn. struggled on both sides of the pitch in the opening 45 minutes, coughing up the ball numerous times in its own end and taking several poor touches on offense as well, leaving the Wesleyan goalies completely untested for most of the game.
The Cardinal offense continued to apply pressure on the opposing defense in the second half as Wesleyan searched in vain for an elusive insurance goal. Keisuke Yamashita ’10 got a good look at net early in the second on a feed from Mark Murphy ’10, but his header sailed just wide.
The game would have become very one-sided if not for the play of Western Conn. goalie Michalowski, who made athletic, acrobatic saves on an array of shots on scoring threats from Matt Nevin ’09, Ozzie Parente ’09 and Nick Whipple ’10.
The Colonials looked a little better on the ball in the second half, putting a total of four shots on Boskowich and carrying out a few counter-attacks that brought the ball deep into Cardinal territory. Overall, however, Western Conn. lacked the hunger and finesse necessary to tuck one in against a tight Wes defense.
While many felt the score could have been two or three goals in Wesleyan’s favor, the team was happy with a W, as the Cards improved to 4-5-1.
“We got the win,” Murphy said. “That’s all that matters right now.”
A crucial game looms this weekend, as Wesleyan will try to take it to the Amherst Lord Jeffs (7-3) in front of a homecoming crowd at Jackson Field.
“We’re going to have to come out and play hard from top to bottom if we want to beat Amherst,” Murphy said. “It’s going to take a good performance from everyone.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Leave a Reply