MIDDLETOWN, CT. – A no-goal call with three seconds on the clock was the difference maker in a highly contested 0-0 NESCAC draw between the Wesleyan men's soccer team and Bates College on Saturday afternoon from Jackson Field.

The 4-0-2 Cardinals (2-0-1 NESCAC) remain unbeaten as another contest saw no goals from either team. Mathis Blanc '26 faced six shots through the entirety of the game, making two saves. The 4-1-1 Bobcats (1-0-1 NESCAC) were quick from the jump, forcing the Cardinals to regroup on the fly.

The Cardinals offense got the better of the Bobcats, outshooting 14-6 as they were led by Chris Porte '25. Efforts to get the ball behind Bobcats goalkeeper George Nassar were thwarted by a rough and tumble defense.

Lucas Ruehlemann '25 nearly won the game for the Cardinals with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation as the Cardinals rushed the Bobcats zone on a quick turnaround, angling the ball just above the cross bar and out high. The final push for a score came off the foot of a Bobcat out right as the ball hit the left post with three seconds left but was called off by the officials as they called the draw.

Nassar finished the afternoon for the Bobcats with four saves.

The Cardinals return to action on Sunday, Sept. 22, when they host Middlebury at Smith Field beginning at 12 p.m.