Soccer earns first two wins of the year, goes undefeated in Wellesley Invitational

This weekend, the Wellesley Blue notched two key victories at home, beating the Haverford Fords and the Potsdam Bears. This gave the Blue their first two victories of the season, bringing their record to 2-2-1.

During Saturday’s game against the Fords, Chelsea-Ann Patry ’13 scored the only goal. Claire Cerda ’15 received no shots on goal, and Kat Goldsmith ’16 saved three shots to preserve the 1-0 lead throughout the game. 

The game on Sunday, Sept. 9 had a different dynamic. There were six goals scored, and all by the home team. Wellesley moved the ball patiently yet efficiently on offense. Emily Wilson ’14 led the Blue with two goals, while Lena Cardoso ’14, Juliette Fry ’16, Abigail Hess ’16 and Jennifer Marble ’13 each chipped in one. The team had strong communication throughout the game and seemed like veterans on the field. 

Wellesley actually boasts a very young team, with nine first-years out of 21 players. With so many new players, the team spent over two weeks building chemistry and learning each other’s playing styles. The soccer team arrived for preseason on Aug. 22, and practiced two to three times a day in the time before classes started. They also participated in taxing fitness tests. 

This seems to have paid off, as team members were sprinting after balls and diving for steals all weekend. Because the whole team trained to work hard, each player knows that her teammates will be there to receive a pass. 

This weekend, several first-years scored the first goals of their college careers, while veteran players added to their tallies. “The best asset of the Wellesley College soccer team is that we cannot tell what grades people are in,” Captain Megan Turchi ’13 said. 

“Player for player this is one of the most talented and most committed teams we’ve had,” Head Coach Tony Mohammed said. Everyone on the field was involved in the action. While slightly less than half of the team was new this year, after many days of intense training and several games, the Blue already looks like a team.