It was a busy weekend for the Wes women’s soccer team. On Friday, Oct 29 Wesleyan hosted the Conn. College Camels in their last regular season showdown. The Cardinals stormed over the Camels 3-0 to end the regular season. Talented freshman Kerry Doyle ‘14 had two goals in the match. With this win, the women’s soccer team improved to 5-4-4 overall and 3-2-4 in NESCAC play, posting its first-ever winning conference record. The Camels, who needed a win to secure a spot in the tournament, ended the season 5-6-3 overall and 1-5-3 in conference play. This season Wesleyan has won three straight games against Conn. College for only the second time in program history.
Team leading scorer Laura Kurash ‘13 had an early goal just 3:06 minutes into the game to put the Cardinals on the board. Kaitlin Ashley ‘11 gave the ball to Kurash off a throw-in, and Kurash was able to score off a low shot to the left side of the goal. Kurash ended the regular season with 21 points on nine goals and three assists. Doyle,scored the first of her two goals with just 39 seconds remaining in the first half. After receiving a pass from Barrie Lindsay ‘12, Doyle had a one-on-one with Conn. keeper Kirsten Manville. Doyle sent a shot to the right side of the net to propel the Wes women to a 2-0 lead. Goalie Grace Bomann ‘14 recorded three stops in the first half.
The Camels came out strong in the second half, recording four shots in the first four and a half minutes of the period. The Cardinals did not falter under the pressure as Doyle made it 3-0 at 51:38.
Next up for the Cardinals was the opening game of the NESCAC tournament against Little Three foe Williams. The Cardinals entered the match as the sixth seed; Williams was third seed. This was the second time the two schools have played this season, as the Cardinal’s tied the Ephs 2-2 in their season opener. Unfortunately, the second meeting of the two schools was not as successful, as Wesleyan dropped the match 4-1. Williams junior Brett Eisenhart led the Ephs to victory with three goals, tying the tournament record for most goals in a game.
The game started off with a blast of offensive power for both squads. In the opening minute of the game Eisenhart scored her first goal. However, the Wes women responded fast with a goal of their own in the fifth minute of play. Kaylin Berger ‘13 sent a long serve over the Eph defense and Doyle was able to put the ball in the back of the net. Doyle finished the season ranked second on the team in points with six goals and one assist. This ended scoring for the Wesleyan women on the day, as Williams regained the lead six minutes later and eventually cruised to victory.
Although the season is over for the women’s soccer team, the future looks bright. With talented freshman and sophomore classes, next season will surely be a success. The Wes women finished the season ranked 6th overall in the NESCAC.
Leave a Reply