Field Hockey and Men’s Soccer Gear Up for NCAA Matches Against SUNY Geneseo

As we head toward Thanksgiving, the Division III attention turns toward national tournaments. So far, Wes has two teams locked in for NCAA action: field hockey and men’s soccer. As both teams look toward matchups versus SUNY Geneseo this upcoming week, The Argus is here to give you a rundown on how each team got to this point and what to expect from their matchups with the Knights. 

Field Hockey:

The Cardinals started the season 7–4, picking up key NESCAC wins against Bates, Trinity and Colby. 

On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Red and Black faced off against Little Three foe No. 7 Williams. It was a tight 0–0 game late into the fourth quarter. However, Williams was able to break through in the 54th minute with a goal, giving them a 1–0 lead. The Cards’ offense could not respond in the final six minutes and was handed a 1–0 defeat. 

The Red Birds’ offense bounced back in their next game, scoring eight goals in an 8–1 win against Western New England University. The Cards received multi-goal performances from both Emily Smith ’29 and Sarah Porter ’27. 

The following weekend, the Cards traveled up to Amherst, Mass. to finish their regular season Little Three play. The offense got started early for the Cards, as Natalie Shaw ’28 netted the game’s first goal eight minutes in. The Cards added another score thanks to Teddy Tolbert ’28, and went into half with a 2–0 lead. In the second half, the Red and Black added four goals including a hat trick from Smith. Meanwhile, the Cards’ defense and goal keepers Caroline Chung ’29 and Keira O’Flynn ’30 conceded a singular goal. It was a resounding victory of 6–1 for the Cardinals as they headed to New London, Conn. for their regular season final.

In the regular season final against Conn. College, Brooke Miner ’28 had a fantastic day, having a hand in all three of the Cards’ goals. Miner got the scoring going with a penalty stroke goal in the first quarter before adding another penalty stroke goal in the second quarter. Then in the third quarter, Miner assisted on a goal by Leila Feldman ’28. O’Flynn was tested in goal, saving all eight shots on goal that came her way. 

The Cardinals’ 3–0 win against Conn. College capped off a 10–5 regular season, a 5–5 NESCAC record, and the #6 seed in the NESCAC tournament. This led the Red and Black to a NESCAC Quarterfinal matchup at #3 Bowdoin. Bowdoin defeated Wesleyan earlier in the season 2–1, so the Cards were looking for some revenge. 

Unfortunately, the Polar Bears struck first, punching through two goals in under a minute in the first quarter. The Red and Black defense would hold for the rest of the game, but the Cards failed to generate any goals on their 16 shots. Ultimately, Wes fell to Bowdoin 2–0 and were eliminated from the NESCAC tournament.

However, the Cards’ season isn’t over just yet. On Sunday, Nov. 8, Wesleyan was named the No. 10 seed ahead of the NCAA D-III tournament. This marks the third consecutive year that the team will compete at the NCAAs, and the second year in a row that it will host the first-round matchup. The team’s SUNY Geneseo opponents boast a 16–3 season record entering the tournament, but the regular season will matter no more once the ball drops for play on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 4 p.m. on Hicks Field. 

Men’s Soccer: 

This is the third straight year that men’s soccer has qualified for the NCAA tournament as the Cards prepare to face off against SUNY Geneseo at home on Saturday, Nov. 14. If the Cards win, they will face the winner of the matchup between University of Scranton and Manhattanville University. Despite falling to #2 Williams in the first round of the NESCAC tournament on Saturday, Oct. 31, the Red and Black look to make a run in this NCAA tournament. The Cardinals’ offense is led by Ford Cash ’29 with five goals and three assists. The Cardinals boast a 7–5–4 overall record, and stand at the No. 11 National Power Index (NPI) overall ranking. 

The men’s soccer team’s season has been one of highs and lows. Some notable results include a victory against former No. 1 Tufts on Wednesday, Sept. 9 and ties with previous No. 1 Middlebury, 1–1, on Thursday, Oct. 1 and with former No. 7 Williams, 1–1, on Saturday, Oct. 17. 

The Red and Black have proven that they can perform when the pressure is on. They beat Colby on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2–0, on goals from Cash and Yousuf Saeed ’27. In their match against Middlebury, the Cards scored in the eighth minute off another Cash goal. In the Williams game, the Ephs netted the first goal in the 24th minute and headed into half-time up 1–0. This was no problem for the Cards as they netted a goal in the 74th minute thanks to Felipe Una ’30. 

After this string of nationally ranked opponents, the team headed up to Hartford, Conn. to face the Trinity Bantams and won in a dominant 3–0 fashion. Two goals from Dylan Clack ’27 and one from Una secured the game.

The Cards ended their positive point streak, falling twice: once to Conn. College on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and then to Williams in the NESCAC quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 31. 

The Cardinals have also had two different faces between the pipes this season: Simon Rebstock ’29 and Sam Adiutori ’28. Adiutori boasts a 0.73 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of 82.1%. Rebstock, who has seen most of the action from Oct. 3 onward, has 1.11 GAA and a 77.8% save percentage. 

The NCAA tourney provides the Cardinals a unique opportunity to advance beyond the initial weekend and show strengths that they have been harnessing in the last two weeks. You can catch all the action at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 on Smith Field. 

Leila Feldman is a Sports Editor for the Wesleyan Argus and can be reached at lfeldman01@wesleyan.edu.

Benjamin Mayer can be reached at bmayer@wesleyan.edu. 

Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.