Men's Soccer Defeats Wesleyan Cardinals 2-1

CAM CHOTTINER ’20 STAFF WRITER
The Trinity Bantams Men’s soccer team hasn’t gotten off to the start that they had hoped for, but they entered the week optimistic that they could change that. On Wednesday, the Bantams looked to pick up their first NESCAC win of the season in a match up against the in-state rival Wesleyan Cardinals. The Bantams (3-8-1) were up against a tough opponent in Wesleyan (5-5-1), especially after conceding an early goal to Wesleyan’s Taylor Chin in the 21st minute. Trinity was whistled for a foul well outside the box, leading to the free kick to be taken by Chin. From what seemed to be a pass into the box looking for a header, the ball flew over everyone, took a bad bounce, and jumped by the outstretched arm of Mateo Zabala (’18) from approximately 40 yards out. Down but not out, the Bantams gathered themselves before equalizing with a 35th minute tally from Cody Savonen (’18). Trinity’s William Baker (’19) won a ball deep in the Wesleyan box after winning a hard fought battle with a Cardinal defender. Baker then controlled the ball, turned, and tapped a perfect pass to Savonen. Shortly after receiving the pass, Savonen tied up the game with a lethal strike off his right foot. Despite the nifty moves, Savonen was far from finished. Just 3 minutes later the Trinity captain showed great determination, winning a 50/50 ball in a battle with a Wesleyan defender before quickly putting the Bantams up by a score of 2-1 heading into halftime. The 2nd half was just as hard-fought as the 1st, with captain Mateo Zabala proving to be the difference as he finished the game with a phenomenal 8 saves to keep the score 2-1 in favor of the hosts. Wesleyan almost equalized in the 84th minute with a shot pinging off the post, leading to an awkward rebound that took Zabala out of the play. The Trinity defense stepped up in the frantic situation as Scott Brazina (’18) gave up his body to block the shot and secure the first NESCAC victory of the year for the Bantams. Trinity will look to build on this invigorating win and finish out the year strong as they face Eastern Connecticut St. on the 17^th and conference rival Amherst on the 25^th.