BRUNSWICK, Me. – Heavy drama unfolded early Saturday afternoon as the sixth-seeded Wesleyan women's soccer team played third-seeded Bowdoin to a 0-0 draw at the end of overtime. With the NESCAC Quarterfinal showdown needing penalty kicks to determine the advancing team, the Cardinals shook off the pressure and went 5-for-5 from the spot while
Molly Brumbach '26 made a save in the fourth round as Wesleyan advanced via a 5-3 penalty kick shootout victory.
The Cardinals (7-4-5) advance to the NESCAC semifinal round for the second straight season and the fourth time in program history. Wesleyan is set for a showdown with five-seed Trinity on Saturday at 1:30 PM on the campus of top-seed Amherst. For the second straight season, Wesleyan defeated Bowdoin (10-4-2) in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, as the Cardinals won 2-1 in Middletown last season.
Bowdoin had a promising scoring chance in the 29
th minute as Rachael Peacock sent a volley toward the right post. Samaya Bernardo tried to finish off the play but ran out of space at the end line before being able to direct the ball towards the net.
With three minutes remaining in the first, Wesleyan earned a free kick from 15 yards outside the box.
Dani Milovanov '23 stepped up and blasted a shot on-target, but Bowdoin goalkeeper Alex Arndt came away with the key save right before halftime.
During the first overtime, Arndt came up with a massive diving save to preserve the 0-0 tie. The Cardinals lined up a free kick on the top of the penalty area.
Katie O'Connell '25 tried to curl an attempt around the Polar Bears' defensive wall and as the shot skipped on the ground to the left side of the goal, Arndt got a pair of hands on the attempt to deny the would-be go-ahead goal.
It was Arndt again making a crucial stop in the overtime period as
Chloe Odabashian '23 nearly played the role of OT hero. Still in the first overtime session, the attempt came off a quick reaction play off a rebound, but the Bowdoin keeper was again up to the task.
The penalty kick shootout saw the Cardinals step to the spot first, with
Andi Wiley '22 going low and to her right to beat Charlotte Iannone – the Bowdoin backup keeper who came in for Ardnt. A pair of sophomores came up huge in pressure moments as
Caty Clements '25 and O'Connell each buried their attempts in the second and third round, respectively.
Kate Hausladen '23 finished her chance in the fourth round and with the Cardinals leading 4-3,
Molly Brumbach '26, who came in for starter
Sarah Hammond '22, made a crucial save on Emilia Tutun. Brumbach stepped to her right before Tutun's attempt, and the first-year keeper's initial move proved vital as Tutun smashed her attempt right into the diving Cardinal keeper.
Now in a situation where a successful PK would end the match,
Isabelle Martin '23 was called upon and the senior made no mistake, going with a low shot to her left to beat Iannone and send the Cardinals into hysterics.
Wesleyan had the bulk of the scoring chances in the contest, outshooting Bowdoin 18-14 and 11-5 in shots on-target. Arndt was tremendous, posting 11 saves to deny the Cardinals and send the game into penalty kicks. Hammond made five saves in the 110 minutes of action as she continues her sensational run of play, allowing just one non-penalty kick goal in her last 590 of action.
The Cardinals are set to meet Trinity in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time, as the two sides will meet in the semifinals next Saturday at 1:30 PM. Wesleyan is looking for just their second appearance in the NESCAC title game in program history and will do battle against a Bantam team that defeated Wesleyan 1-0 in Hartford back on September 24. In that meeting, Wesleyan outshot Trinity 20-4 but the Bantams' keeper Mariana Cournoyer posted a nine-save shutout to deny the Cardinals who held the bulk of possession and scoring chances in that regular season meeting.
