After shocking the top team in the NESCAC last Wednesday, the Wesleyan women’s soccer team finished the season with an unfortunate loss to Bowdoin College. Despite solid play, the Lady Cards could not turn chances into goals, as they fell 5-0 the Polar Bears on Saturday.
During the fast-paced game, both teams had a number of chances to find the back of the net. Wesleyan took 13 shots, while Bowdoin put an incredible 26 shots on net. But Bowdoin was able to capitalize on its chances, especially early in the first half, as it built up a quick 3-0 lead. The trio of quick goals all came courtesy of Bowdoin’s Ann Zeigler, who knocked home a penalty kick and two goals from the left side.
Bowdoin’s lead was never in jeopardy the rest of the game, and despite the Cardinals’ best efforts, the Polar Bears won handily.
“I think that our team was ready to play against Bowdoin, but we could not put everything together in the game,” said keeper Andrea Giuliano ’09
Despite the huge loss margin, Wesleyan’s goalkeeping duo of Giuliano and Gavi Elkind ’09 still combined for an impressive 15 saves. It was a tough day for the team to say goodbye to their seniors, but four made their final appearances in Cardinal red. tri-captain Natalie Cohen ’06, tri-captain Sarah Hopkins ’06, tri-captain Caitlin Herlihy ’06 and Becca Morrell ’06 all finished their distinguished Cardinal careers on Saturday. The team will be remembering the senior students and their contributions to the team.
“As for the last game of the season, all I can say is that we were disappointed in the scoreboard but proud of our performance on the field,” said Rebecca Malik ’09. “The last game was a tough time for the team emotionally as we faced the fact that it was our last competition with our four beloved seniors. Each of the seniors had a special spark that benefited the team greatly.”
“We played to the best of our ability the entire season and we came out strong in all of our games,” Giuliano said. “We may not have won as many games as we would have liked, but we know we did our best, and is a great improvement from the beginning of the season.” Their great performances against the best teams in the NESCAC, such as Colby, Williams and Tufts will be of a great push for the start of the next season. If the Cardinals can turn more of their hard-earned chances into goals, they will surely be successful next year.
“As for next year, we all believe that we can take the off-season to improve our fitness level because it is obvious that we are a talented team with great chemistry,” Malik said. “This season was just a building block for next year; we are prepared to come out with a bang and surprise everyone in ’06. We played great against the toughest teams in the NESCAC: Williams, Middlebury, and Colby, and came out with a win against #1. We’re all excited to reunite on the field a year from now.”
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