Box Score MIDDLETOWN, CT -- A beautiful, sun-drenched afternoon on Jackson Field was the setting for a heated conference battle between the men's soccer teams of Williams College (7-2-0, NESCAC 4-2-0) and Wesleyan University (5-4-1, NESCAC 4-2-0). A pair of goals. both assisted by Eph freshman standout Malcolm Moutenot, by senior User Kushaina and sophomore Mohammed Rashid proved the difference between the Ephs and the Cardinals when the buzzer sounded after 90 minutes of play.
The first goal came after a first half that saw several stints of possession for both sides. However, the Ephs really turned up the pressure in the ten minutes leading up to halftime. The Ephs found themselves with a great opportunity in the 40th minute when freshman Malcolm Moutenot launched a long throw-in from the left corner into the Cardinal penalty area, which connected with the head of sophomore Jonathan Westling, who could not steer the headed shot on target, slamming it wide of the right post.
However, Eph junior Zach Grady stole the ball immediately after Cardinal junior keeper Emmett McConnell sent the ball back into play off a goal kick. Grady exchanged a series of slick passes with freshman Patrick Gordon and Moutenot down the left wing which resulted in a great Moutenot cross toward the near post, where Kushaina beat his defender to fire past McConnell into the left corner of the net, putting the Ephs up 1-0 right before the break.
The second goal came after having played for eighteen minutes down a man since junior Chris Conder picked up his second yellow card of the game for a reckless challenge on a Cardinal defender as he tried to win the ball back.
The Ephs were forced to rely on counterattacking for the remainder of the game, but they finally struck gold in the 82nd minute. Sophomore Geoff Danilack dispossessed Cardinal sophomore Brandon Sousa in the midfield before sending the ball out to the right wing to Moutenot, who then carved the Cardinal defense apart with a beautiful through ball to Rashid, who made a knifing run through the defense as the pass was made. Rashid cleverly knocked the ball under the onrushing McConnell's flailing arms, then expertly tapped the ball into the back of an open net, ensuring the Ephs' victory.
After the game, Eph coach Mike Russo praised the resiliency of Moutenot and Rashid: "[Moutenot and Rashid] really provided a real spark, especially when we were a man down, and this is a tremendous result."
The Cardinals had a good chance to open up the scoring themselves in the first half when Sousa beat Eph junior defender Luke Pierce, forcing Pierce to foul him only 24 yards away from goal on the left side of the field. Pierce received a yellow card for the foul. The resulting free kick was taken by junior Omar Bravo, who laid the ball off to the top of the box for Sousa, who rocketed the ball over the crossbar.
The second half saw the Ephs pick up right where they had left off in the first half, possessing a majority of the ball and applying a great deal of pressure to the Cardinal penalty area.
However, it was the Cardinals who had the first great look five minutes into the second half on a counterattack. Freshman Charlie Gruner received a punt from McConnell on the left side of midfield. Gruner then proceeded to beat retreating Eph junior Christ Seitz to the touchline where he sent in a low, skidding pass across the face of the goal to the far post. All Bravo had to do to equalize the scoring was touch the ball past the outstretched arms of Eph senior keeper Peter Morrell, but somehow he blasted the ball wide-right of the post.
The Ephs continued to maintain a majority of the possession after the Cardinals' missed opportunity. Rashid foreshadowed his later goal with a near-identical opportunity in the 62nd minute. This time, however, it was junior Matt Muralles who stole the ball in the midfield and lofted a through ball over the Cardinal defense to a knifing Rashid. Just as he would later, Rashid beat McConnell to the ball and poked the ball around him. Unlike later however, Rashid was denied his goal by a spectacular defensive effort by Ben Bratt, sliding in to block Rashid from tapping the ball into an open net.
It was a mere two minutes later when the entire complexion of the game changed when Conder received his second yellow card of the game, further lifting the hopes of the Cardinals to equalize.
Up a man, the Cardinals owned most of the possession in the last 25 minutes of the game, pressing higher up the field and challenging an impressive Eph back line.
A good chance for Wesleyan to equalize came in the 76th minute on a quick series of corners. Sophomore Max Jones finally found the head of a teammate on a corner that he sent into the box, but fellow sophomore Chris Kafina could not direct his header on target. Mere minutes later, another corner taken by Jones forced Morrell to punch the ball out of danger.
However, Rashid's goal in the 82nd minute put the verdict beyond any doubt, and both Morrell and the Ephs' defense earned their fifth clean sheet of the year.
Coach Russo also commented on the result: "Overall given the situation, a man down for 25 minutes and just a tough place to play against a good team, I am very pleased. We had to rely on mainly counterattacking after going down a man, and we couldn't always send a bunch of people forward. I couldn't be more proud of our guys."
Eph senior Matt Kastner joined Conder and Pierce in the book with a yellow card, and Spencer Tanaka was the lone man booked for the Cardinals in the game.
Williams outshot Wesleyan 19 to 11, with 10 of their shots on goal to Wesleyan's 3. Morrell made all 3 of his saves, and McConnell made 8 himself. Wesleyan had 5 corners to Williams' 2 and 13 fouls to Williams' 7.
The Ephs play again tomorrow at noon away at Bowdoin. The Cardinals don't play again until next Saturday at 2:30 PM away against Amherst.
