MIDDLETOWN, Conn. –
Ford Cash '29 headed home the game-winner for Wesleyan men's soccer in the 75
th minute to seal a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Springfield in the 2026 season opener out on Smith Field. Wesleyan opens their account with a win for the sixth straight season while the Pride remain winless at 0-1-1 on the year.
Playing on a picturesque Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals held the ball for most of the early stages of the contest, ultimately scoring the opener in the 15
th minute off the right foot of
Joshwin Jennings '27. An initital shot attempt from Jennings was blocked by a Pride defender but the ball wasn't cleared away and Jennings volleyed home the opener with his non-dominant right foot.
Springfield answered back just over eight minutes later as consecutive Wesleyan fouls in their defensive side of the field resulted in a free kick in a dangerous spot just five yards outside the penalty box. Connor Policarpio lined up a straight shot and he curled in an attempt on his right foot that made it past a diving
Simon Rebstock '29 in goal and inside the right post to knot the score at 1-1 in the 23
rd minute.
The visitors flipped the script and turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in the 38
th minute as Luke McPhillips sent a through ball across midfield. A Cardinal defender slid in for a tackle but the ball deflected and fell to Kam Brown who flipped a pass to Cooper Kassan who was 1-on-1 against Rebstock. Armed with time, Kassan cooly buried the go-ahead goal inside the far post.
A seesawing first half continued late on as a Wesleyan free kick from over 30 yards out resulted in an unlikely equalizing goal just under two minutes after Kassan's go-ahead tally.
Yousuf Saeed '27 lined up for the free kick and with Springfield keeper Tommy Fenton playing way off his line, Saeed chose to go for goal from distance and the senior midfielder made no mistake. Saeed's shot caught Fenton out and the Pride's keeper had no chance as it was all square at 2-2 at halftime.
Both sides had prime scoring chances within the first 15 minutes of the second half, all of which missing the target by a few feet. With the game still tied and the physicality ramping up, a corner kick for the Cardinals in the 75
th minute proved to be the difference in the end.
Aiden Londergan '27 took an in-swinging left-footed corner kick from the far side towards the box where
Nnamdi Emehelu '29 got a header on the pass that was saved initially by Fenton, but the rebound bounced towards the right post where Cash was waiting to head in the game-winner.
Wesleyan controlled play over the final 15 minutes and saw out the come-from-behind 3-2 win. Saeed nearly finished with a brace as a right-footed attempt inside the box with less than two minutes remaining was pushed away by the right hand of a diving Fenton in net.
Both Jennings and Saeed scored their 10
th career goal for the Cardinals in the win while Cash scored his third career goal and second career game-winning tally. Emehelu recorded his first career point with an assist on the Cash game-winner. Rebstock got the start in his first career appearance for Wesleyan, making one save and playing the full 90 minutes in goal.
Next up for Wesleyan is a Wednesday night showdown against the defending National Champion Tufts on Smith Field.
