The Wesleyan women’s soccer team had a successful fall break, as the team took down a 1-0 victory over Bates on Saturday. Fresh off another big win against Bowdoin College the previous weekend, Wesleyan (3-3-3, 2-1-3 NESCAC) entered into the Bates match feeling confident and optimistic. This energy helped propel the Cardinals to their first ever victory in Lewiston, Maine against the Bobcats. Heading into the contest, Bates had previously stood 5-0 versus Wesleyan on its home turf.
Leading up to the match, Bates was ranked fifth in the NESCAC, while Wesleyan trailed behind at eight. The Cardinals, however, disproved this divisional ranking, as they triumphed over the Bobcats in double overtime.
During regulation, both the Cardinals and Bobcats pressured the ball in the offensive zone, accumulating a combined 40 shots on net. However, neither team was able to get the ball in the back of the net and the game remained scoreless throughout both halves. Despite playing into a strong wind that made the ball direction unpredictable, Cardinal tender, Grace Bomann ’14 had a solid afternoon, as she successfully logged her first career shutout with two saves.
The first overtime was a back and forth battle, as both teams tried to create as many offensive opportunities as possible. With just minutes remaining in the first overtime, Kerry Doyle ’14 had a fast break, which resulted in a one-on-one with Bates goalie, but unfortunately her shot bounced off the goal cage and the score stayed 0-0 for the rest of the period.
The second overtime was another pressure cooker as each side tried to score on fast breaks. Finally, in the 103rd minute of the game, Dasha Battelle ’11 fed a perfectly aligned air ball to Laura Kurash ’13 who was then able to head the ball into the back of the net, for a game-winning goal. Kurash stands as the top scorer in the NESCAC, with a total of 19 points in ten games, making for a 1.90 point-per-game average.
After an exciting game against Bates, the Cards returned to Jackson field for a NESCAC matchup against Middlebury at home on Tuesday. The Cardinals came into the match with hopes of ending a 15-game losing streak to Panthers (0-13-2). However, the game ended in a fourth tie for the Cardinals in NESCAC action.
The Panthers, currently ranked fourth in New England, were able to control the ball early on in the game. Cardinal goalie Bomann proved to be the backbone of the team, as she notched her second straight shutout of the season. Even with a free kick in the box by Kaylin Berger ’13, the Cards failed to produce any goals during both regulation play and the two overtimes.
“I wish we had won,” Kurash said. “It was disappointing because we had more scoring opportunities than they did, except we hit the crossbar.”
Due to Tufts recent victory over Connecticut College, the Cardinals are now officially in the playoffs.
“The NESCAC this year is really anyone’s to win,” Kurash said. “So now that we are in the playoffs we have a really good chance to go all the way.”
The Lady Cards will participate in Homecoming weekend, with a much-anticipated match up against Little Three rival Amherst College. The winner of this game will be crowned 2010 Little Three champion.
Leave a Reply