This is how it was supposed to happen. That is, according to the plans of all of the current players on the 2005 men’s soccer team, the newest champions of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
But this one was bigger than just the players. It was for all of the alumni who worked just as hard, played with just as much intensity, and wanted it just as badly as this current crop of players but came up short.
This was for Head Coach Geoffrey Wheeler, who in his time here has compiled a 47-40-4 record since 1999, and has never had a team either beat Williams or take the NESCAC title.
This was for the fans, parents, faculty, and everyone else who believed in the team during the tough times and were there cheering when success shined upon them.
But most of all, this was for the players who made history, becoming the first Wesleyan soccer team ever to win the NESCAC title. They did it in dramatic fashion, beating three teams that they were a combined 0-2-1 against during the regular season.
Last weekend, the Cardinals came back to beat Bowdoin 4-1 a day after losing in a regular season heartbreaker 0-1.
Continuing the improbable story on homecoming weekend, Wesleyan traveled to the lion’s den of Williamstown, Mass., to face the foes that have beaten them sixteen straight times dating back to 1992
With the game less than seven minutes old, midfielder Josh Stephens ’07 took a pass just outside the box, stepped past two defenders, then sent a bending ball to the far post where Morgan Owen ’07 was waiting. He one-timed the pass into the side netting for the lone goal in the game. It was his sixth goal of the year, which ties him for the team lead with Brandon Smith ’08 and Matt Nevin ’09.
Williams, the first seed in the tournament, was not ready to give in after the goal, however. They moved their central defender, who at 6’4“ is rather imposing, to forward in an effort to tie the game. They managed to crank balls off the post several times, but Matt Gnall ’08 (7 saves in the second half) and the back four (Justin Mello ’08, David Baharestani ’07, Jared Ashe ’07, and Ross Pemmerl ’08) combined to preserve the win and carry Wesleyan to the finals.
”The entire team committed to defending as hard as possible, especially against Williams, and put tons of pressure all over the field,“ Ashe said.
In the finals the next day, it was all Wesleyan in the first half against the #4 seed Amherst. Nevin struck first, scoring a header off a cross from Mike Walker ’08 in the 33rd minute. Just two minutes later, Wesleyan again had cause to celebrate as Nevin put in his sixth goal of the year on a one-timer in the box.
”We played very well in the first half, switched the point of attack effectively and passed the ball around Amherst’s defenders,“ said Pemmerl.
The suspense did not end there. With the wind at their backs, Wesleyan struggled to find offense, as would-be through balls were carried over the end line or into goaltender Jeff Grover’s waiting arms.
Ryan O’Donnell of Amherst scored off a header just seven minutes into the second half to get his team back in the game, assisted by Nick Lynch. Then, in the 75th minute, Adrien de Brontin ripped a one-timer from the far post off a long throw-in to tie the game at two.
Wesleyan then buckled down in a potentially traumatic situation. On a direct free kick from the fifty yard-line, Pemmerl launched a ball that cleared the crowded box and into the back of the net for the game-winning goal, his second of the year.
Gnall’s spectacular seven-save effort helped preserve the lead for the remaining thirteen minutes of play. After the final whistle, the celebration began.
”It was one of the most unbelievable things I’ve ever been a part of,“ said Peter Glidden ’07. ”It means so much to the program, the former players who could never beat Williams, but most importantly to us. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever won and probably will be.“
”The team just had an incredible weekend,“ Nevin said. ”To beat Williams in the semis for the first time in 16 attempts and then to keep our heads after losing the lead to Amherst and immediately getting it back was great.“
Not only was Wesleyan up against incredible competition, but they stared history in the face and made some themselves. The Cardinals were the lowest seed ever (#7) to win the NESCAC tournament in addition to being the first team to take the title home to Middletown.
”We were the 7th seed nobody wanted to mess with,“ Mello said. ”By knocking out the 1st, 2nd, and 4th seeds, we proved to everyone that, not only are we the sexiest team in the NESCAC, but we are the best team in the NESCAC.“
”I’m so proud of the way we played all weekend,“ Gnall said. ”Everyone kept waiting for us to fall but we played with so much heart and determination that we weren’t going to let anybody else leave with that trophy. I’ll never forget the way it felt to dance on Cole field knowing that we had done something special that people were going to talk about for years.“
Wesleyan has a chance to further their success on Wednesday, when they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Muhlenberg College for the first round of the NCAA Div. III championship tournament. Should they win, they will face Messiah College, which, ranked number one in the nation, has a bye in the first round. However, no matter what happens in the NCAA tournament, this team has accomplished something that will be with them forever, a sensational run which brought together a group of guys who are the true definition of team.
Even so, these Cardinals aren’t done yet. As forward Matt Nevin said, ”After all that, we’re still a big underdog going in to the NCAA tournament,“ Nevin said. ”We’re just gonna have to prove them wrong again.“
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