On Wednesday afternoon, the women’s soccer team showcased its offensive prowess, a welcome change from last Saturday’s defensive struggle against Bowdoin. The Cardinals outshot visiting Rhode Island College 40-3, setting themselves up with a variety of scoring opportunities en route to a resounding 5-0 victory on Jackson Field.
Kaylin Berger ’13 netted the Cardinals’ first goal in the 21st minute. After receiving a centering pass from Katrina Ellis-Ferrara ’13, Berger fired the ball before the defense could adjust. Cora Lautze ’11 closed out the scoring in the first half by shouldering in the ball from a corner kick placed by Beth Kenworthy ’10, making the score at halftime 2-0. At that point, Wesleyan held a 19-2 edge in shots over the visiting Anchorwomen.
Continuing the offensive momentum from the first half, the Cardinals mustered up three more goals in the second half to make the final score 5-0. Ellis-Ferrara moved ahead as the point leader for the team with her goal at 58:06, collecting a rebound in the middle of the box and scoring inside the near post. Lily Kaplan ’13 assisted on Ellis-Ferrara’s fifth goal of the season.
Ingrid Parl ’10 scored the final two goals of the afternoon for the Redbirds. Dasha Battelle ’11 assisted on Parl’s first goal as Parl kicked the ball into the top of the goal off of a rebound from the center of the box. She scored again four minutes later from further out on the left side of the box. After receiving a pass from Kaitlin Ashley ’11, Parl hammered home a left-footed shot to conclude the scoring for the afternoon.
The Cardinals’ victory over R.I.C. was a confidence booster with such a large scoring margin. The victory also showcased the depth of the Cardinals’ bench, as every healthy player saw action in the contest.
Even with the offensive domination of the game for the Cardinals, the Cardinal defense also produced good results. Kate Connolly-Smithwick ’13, who manned the goal for the Redbirds, only needed one save to secure yet another shutout. In its last 10 games, Wesleyan has allowed just five goals, a team-best effort. The previous record belonged to the 2006 squad, which allowed eight goals in a 10-game stretch.
The Cardinals will need to fuse their offensive aggressiveness and their consistent defensive play to beat Bates on Saturday. Wesleyan will have home field advantage, but this NESCAC game will be crucial as the Cardinals have just a pair of conference games remaining after Saturday.
Kick-off is set for 11 a.m. as the Cardinals look to avenge a 2-1 double-overtime loss in Lewiston last season.
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