Senior Madeline Keane (Newtown, CT) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the second half, and Wesleyan women's soccer team held off a furious comeback attempt by visiting Colby College to escape with a 3-2 NESCAC victory Saturday afternoon. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Cardinals and improved their record to 5-4-1 overall and 2-2-1 in the conference.
The Cardinals first good chance to score came with 28:29 left in the half when freshman Liz Young had a breakaway opportunity. With a step on the defense, Young forced Colby goalie Sam Rizzo to come way out of the goal to smother her shot at the top of the box.
Wesleyan finally dented the scoreboard with 5:01 remaining in the half on a corner kick. Junior Carly Swenson (Livingston, NJ) sent a low line drive into the box on the corner and freshman Mo Nelson (Cambridge, MA) blasted it into the left corner of the net after one bounce.
Wesleyan outshot the Mules 11-2 in the half, but Colby failed to register a shot on goal.
Freshman Liz Young (Lincoln, RI) made it 2-0 with an overhead bicycle kick from eight yards with 37:01 to play. Just over three minutes later, with 33:55 to go, senior Madeline Keane fired a laser shot in under the crossbar from 40 yards out to make it 3-0.
The Mules didn't have a shot on goal until 26:45 left, when Catherine Fraser lined a shot at Wesleyan goalie Meghan Hanan (Sammamish, WA).
Nelson almost had her second game with 23 minutes left when Rizzo came way out of the net again, leaving the goal open. She fired a weak shot at the net, and only a last second clear by a Colby defender kept the ball from crossing the line.
The Mules, 3-6-1 and 0-5-1, broke up the shutout with 4:56 left on a goal by junior Aliza Van Leesten, her second of the year. Van Leesten really made things interesting with :55 left when she scored on a breakaway and beat Hanan cleanly from 20 yards out.
Wesleyan outshot Colby 22-8. The Cardinals put 11 on net to just four for the Mules.
