Weeks nets pair of game-winners in conference victories
Margaret BauerIt was a big weekend for Rob Weeks at Francis Field.
The junior forward, who already led the Bears with six goals on the season going into Friday’s match-up against New York University (NYU), scored two game-winning goals in two games to push his overall total to eight. Even more impressive is the fact that out of the eight occasions that Weeks has made it onto the score sheet, six of them were in game-winning situations. This is quite an outstanding track record for Weeks, who was a first team all-University Athletic Association selection his freshman year.
The Oct. 15 game against NYU started out in the Bears’ favor as speedy junior midfielder Andrew Franklin and senior outside defender Matt Twardowski penetrated down the wings. Exploiting NYU’s weak defensive flanks, both players created numerous shots and crosses.
Defensively, the Bears’ back line of Twardowski, fellow seniors Andrew Dennis and Jeff LaBoskey, and freshman standout Ethan Silver shut down the weak NYU attack. Able to hold the Violets to a mere two shots in the first half, the Bears concentrated most of their efforts on creating scoring chances.
After several unsuccessful corner kicks, the Bears finally broke through as senior midfielder Josh Farber played a perfect cross to Weeks. The tall forward was able to head the ball into the upper right corner, barely out of the NYU goalkeeper’s reach. Having notched his first point of the season, Farber looked strong throughout the game and appeared to be fully recovered from an ankle injury that previously kept him out for eight games.
In the second half, the Bears continued to mount attack after attack on NYU’s shaky defense, eventually doubling their lead as junior midfielder Dave Borton received a pass from Rob Weeks in the 63rd minute. In a one-on-one situation against the Violets’ goalkeeper from close range, Borton made no mistake slotting a shot home to the near post.
After gaining a 2-0 lead, the Bears’ defense clamped down on NYU and preserved the lead for the remainder of the game. Going into the locker room following the resounding victory, the Bears looked primed to give their Sunday opponent, Brandeis University, a hard time.
Sure enough, the Bears came out hard against Brandeis and made their mark early. In the sixth minute, Weeks put his team up 1-0 off a pinpoint cross from junior midfielder/defender John Horky. Horky, apparently still riding the momentum from his Oct. 5 one goal, one assist performance against Webster University, notched his second assist on the season in what would prove to be a stellar game for him.
Weeks’ goal came off of the only shot made by either team in the first half. But in the second half, both teams kicked it into high gear offensively, combining for eight shots. The sixth-minute strike, however, would prove to be the match’s only goal, as the Bears rode out a relatively uneventful 1-0 victory. The Bears could have scored on several other occasions, but the close win provided them valuable UAA points nonetheless.
The game’s shutout was senior goalkeeper Colin Robinson’s seventh on the season, and the Bears’ ninth shutout overall in 14 games. In the process, Robinson lowered his already-solid goals-against average to a ridiculously impressive 0.53.
The Bears have almost a full week off before they travel to take on 18th-ranked Wheaton College on Oct. 23. Wheaton, a perennially ranked squad, should be one of the Bears’ most trying tests yet. Last season, however, a highly regarded Wheaton squad was only able to defeat the Bears by a narrow margin of 1-0. A victory against Wheaton this coming Saturday would not only give the Bears a three-game winning streak, but would also raise the eyebrows of conference foes University of Rochester and University of Chicago, two teams that the Bears need to defeat in upcoming weeks to have a shot at the conference crown.
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