NEW LONDON, CT. – On the final day of the regular season, the Wesleyan men's soccer team was able to come through with an important NESCAC victory over Connecticut College, 2-1. After taking a 1-1 tie into the break, leading goal scorer, Kyle Burbage '25, delivered what ended up being the game-winner in the 47^th minute. Wesleyan's defense was stellar in the 2^nd half, spearheaded by a spectacular performance by first-year goalkeeper Mathis Blanc '26 who was making the first start of his career.

Wesleyan finishes the regular season 8-4-3 (4-3-3 NESCAC). The win momentarily placed them 4^th in the conference, however a win by Williams over Middlebury pushed the Cardinals down to 5^th as they await the final results of the later games. Worst case scenario could have the Cardinals placed as low as 7^th (Amherst and Tufts win) while best case scenario would have the Cardinals hold their 5^th spot (Amherst loss and Tufts tie/loss). While a combination of the two could have the Cardinals 6^th. Connecticut College finishes the season 7-5-3 (3-5-2 NESCAC). Their loss placed their NESCAC tournament hopes in the hands of a Bates vs Colby match. Bates won 1-0, giving Connecticut College the final NESCAC tournament spot.

The urgency from both teams certainly showed throughout the contest, with multiple yellow cards, a plethora of fouls, and huge offensive and defensive plays on both sides of the ball. The teams played a hard first 35+ minutes without a score, as they both defended at a high level.

Zach Wheeler '25 ripped a deep shot that sailed high in the 36^th minute setting up a goal kick for Connecticut College. The Camels had trouble controlling the pass off of the goal kick and Noah Hartzfeld '24 capitalized, stealing the ball before getting taken out by the Camels goalie creating a penalty kick chance. Oliver Clarke '25 stepped up and beat Peter Silvester to his left side to give the Cardinals a first half lead.

The lead wouldn't last long however, as the Camels immediately went on the attack following the ensuing kickoff. They created a corner kick for themselves just two minutes later. They then lofted a cross into the box where Marco Cerezo attempted a bicycle kick that was deflected by the Wesleyan defense. The ball ended up at the feet of Oury Diane who put it in the back of the net to tie the game at one. Both defenses held the opponent without a shot over the final seven minutes of the half, heading into the final 45 minutes knotted at one goal apiece.

 The Cardinals wasted no time to start the second half, putting through the eventual game-winner just two minutes into the final half. Lucas Ruehlemann '25 dropped off a pass to Phillip Cubeddu '23 who unloaded a powerful shot towards the bottom left corner of the goal. Silvester was able to make a diving save, but Burbage was there for the follow and the Cardinals went up 2-1. The Camels had a multitude of chances in the final 40 minutes including an opportunity in the 55^th minute when Blanc ran all the way to the left flag to try to keep a ball in bounds. The Camels took it away and sent a cross into the box, but Blanc was able to make a ridiculous recovery, getting back into position to make the sliding save.

Blanc made seven saves in his first ever start as a Cardinal, allowing just one goal. Clarke scores the first goal of his Cardinals career on the penalty kick. Burbage continues his stellar season, leading the team with his 6^th goal of the season. The Camels outshot the Cardinals 13-11 (8-6 SOG).

Wesleyan makes the NESCAC tournament for the 19^th time in their history. They will play an away game Saturday, October 29^th. Their matchup will be decided after Wednesday night's final NESCAC regular season contest between Amherst and Trinity concludes.