On Nov. 1, the men’s soccer team kicked off its postseason run with a home match against Amherst. As the match began and both teams started playing, no one could have predicted how the next 90 minutes would unfold, much less the last 10.
After an 8–3–4 (5–1–4 NESCAC) regular season, the Cardinals were seeded #2 in the conference playoffs, putting them in a position to host their first-round playoff game. Earlier in the season, the Cards got the best of the Mammoths, winning a 2–1 match in the second of their five-game midseason win streak.
Amherst, though, had the upper hand in the two rivals’ NESCAC quarterfinal matchups, with Amherst winning their last three postseason meetings. Additionally, the Mammoths were coming off a National Championship last season, and despite losing a large senior class, they were set to be a tough test. The Red and Black were fully aware that the playoffs were a different animal than the regular season, and they were prepared for a dogfight.
“The first game we played them this year was alumni weekend at home, and it was a really fun experience as a whole,” captain Zach Feldman ’27 said. “But we also understood that this team is the defending national champions. Yes, they lost a pretty big senior class, but the guys they do have…[are] well established and will always be a challenge. So there was a quiet confidence, because, you know, we knew what we’ve done all year and what we’re capable of as a team, but we also know that the challenge they have given us in the past.”
Feldman also acknowledged the physical environment in which Amherst’s team thrives, and how the team prepared to combat their instigative nature.
“Amherst is a very unique team in that whenever you play them, they focus a lot of energy and effort into creating as hectic an environment as possible,” Feldman said. “You can even see it during the pre-game introductions where their bench comes as close up to the starting 11 as possible, and are being loud and trying to be, in a sense, obnoxious…Some of our conversations included focusing on how we can focus on ourselves and be the best version of ourselves possible.”
Wes got on the board first, as Yousuf Saeed ’27 found the back of the net in the 18th minute. While they maintained the lead for the majority of the first half, Amherst struck back just before half, evening up the score after the first 45 minutes of play.
“We came out really strong, and we were possessing well in their half,” Joshwin Jennings ’27 said. “Offensively, we were doing our thing. The ball came out to Ford Cash [’29] on the left side, he was able to cross it in, and Yousuf had an unbelievable volley to the bottom corner. That led to further momentum in the game, and we tried to continue to build on that, but unfortunately, they were able to score, but we maintained our cool. A big thing this year for us has been that when things aren’t going your way, we maintain our cool and still be Wesleyan and be us. Going into the half, we stayed calm, we trusted ourselves, we trusted our coaches, and everything, to continue to build on our momentum from the first half.”
The Mammoths took charge out of the half, getting the ball past goalkeeper Mathis Blanc ’26 in the 60th minute to take a 2–1 lead. For the next 20 minutes, Wes and Amherst traded possessions, stifled by stellar defense. With only 10 minutes to go and the Red and Black still down a goal, it was going to take a strong offensive push to crack Amherst’s backline and tie the game.
Eventually, the Cards strung together a couple of passes leading them towards the Amherst goal, and a feed from John SennMcNally ’28 got the ball to the feet of Jennings, who fired it past the Mammoths’ goalie. The goal provided a huge momentum swing in the Red and Black’s direction as regulation was headed to a close.
“I was on the right side of the field, trying my best to get on the ball,” Jennings said. “I was running up the field, and John was able to play me a through ball in behind, and I was able to, on my first touch, cut it and turn the [ball]. Thank God I was able to place it on the goal on the left side. It was an unbelievable feeling, and I think the fact that we were able to tie it up that late shows we had that much trust in ourselves and in our team to deliver.”
While the match looked destined for a grueling overtime period, Aiden Londergan ’27, the team’s leading goal scorer, had other plans. After the Cards forced a turnover late in the match, Londergan’s soccer IQ put the Red and Black in the best spot yet to succeed.
“At this point, the game was pretty stretched, with both teams going back and forth and having their own respective opportunities to score,” Feldman said. “But with about 40 to 50 seconds left, Aiden runs over, grabs the ball before we throw it in, and he says, ‘Guys, slow it down. Let’s make this the last play of the game.’ Because the clock’s still running for a throw-in, he tells John SennMcNally…to wait and make sure it was the last play.”
SennMcNally’s throw-in got to Jennings, who fired a cross into the box. The ball found the head of striker Ford Cash, whose shot caught the bodies of multiple Amherst defenders. The rebound found the feet of Londergan, who ended up with more time than he expected to settle himself and take a shot.
“Joshwin takes it down the line, puts a great cross in with his weak foot, and a lucky bounce falls to me,” Londergan said. “Looking back, I don’t know how I was that composed, but I saw I had a lot of space, so instead of just whacking it with my weak foot, I took the touch, then placed it in the bottom corner, and blacked out after that.”
Londergan’s improbable goal with 15 seconds of game time was the go-ahead goal that sent the Cards to the NESCAC semifinals. As the ball flew into the left corner, Londergan took his shirt off and ran towards his teammates, basking in the game-winning play he just made.
“The celebration was a bit of a manifestation,” Londergan said. “Going into the game, I thought that I was going to score in overtime: That’s one of the things you do as an athlete, you visualize great things happening. My celebration was either going to be taking off my shirt or doing a Patrick Kane celebration from the [Chicago] Blackhawks. So when that happened, I took off my shirt and then just started celebrating with the team, and it was insane.”
Jennings was grateful to have a guy like Londergan on the field to make the winner.
“Aiden is a very relaxed player, and we’re so fortunate to have a guy like that in the middle,” Jennings said. “He’s one of the best players in the NESCAC this year. The big thing that I notice every time he’s out there, offensively and defensively, is that he’s always able to keep his cool. When we’re in times where it really matters, like it did in the last 15 seconds in that game, we can count on him, and he’s always able to find the back of the net and maintain his composure.”
With this win, the Cards move to the NESCAC semifinals for the first time in a decade. Ironically, their last trip to the semis was after their most recent playoff win against Amherst. That 2015 season saw the Red and Black fight their way to the NESCAC championship, and this year’s team is eager to do the same.
Wes will travel to Medford, Mass., this weekend to compete in the NESCAC quarterfinals on Nov. 8. In their way stands Conn. College, the reigning conference champion and national championship runner-up. The Cards and Camels battled during their final regular season match last Tuesday, where a penalty kick goal from Jennings in the 83rd minute ended the game in a 1–1 tie.
Feldman talked about the differences between Conn. College and Amherst, and how the team is preparing for the semifinal bout.
“Because of how recently we played [Conn. College], we know who they are really well, and they know us too,” Feldman said. “Conn. is, frankly, the opposite type of team as Amherst. Amherst prefers to be very direct and impose their will physically, where Conn. prefers to play through you, and can beat you in a variety of ways on that front. The preparation that we need to put in is working on pressing and trying to win the ball in their half and focusing on getting numbers behind the ball when we get beat.”
A win against Conn. College would pit the Cardinals against the winner of #6 Middlebury and #1 Tufts on Sunday. Even though playing two games next weekend is a possibility, the team is focusing on preparing for Saturday’s battle before worrying about what could be ahead.
“The big thing that we’ve been relying on this year is trust in each other,” Jennings said. “We know how talented all of our guys are, all 34 of us, and the trust that we have in each other means everything. Going into this game, it’s a neutral playing field. Both teams are not from the Boston area. But I do believe we’re going to have the upper hand. We’re very positive and very confident in each other. I think at the end of the day, we’re able to maintain our composure and do everything that we can to win.”
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.
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