Senior tri-captain Zachary Tesler fights for a ball with Earlham's Michael Ellis in the Yeomen's 4-0 defeat of the Quakers on October 7

Photo by Seth Binder '07

by Erik Kojola '09

October 7, 2006 -- The Oberlin College men’s soccer team scored in the first five minutes of its game against Earlham College and continued on to an impressive 4-0 victory. The Yeomen captured the annual Freedom Trophy, which is granted to the winner of the Oberlin versus Earlham match-up, and improved their record to 5-3-4 (2-1-1 NCAC), while the Quakers dropped to 5-7 (0-3 NCAC). The Yeomen are still undefeated at home, boasting a 3-0-2 record at Oberlin.

The Yeomen dominated the game as they scored early and often. Oberlin repeatedly threatened on offense, while clamping down on the Earlham attack. The Yeomen had 13 shots to the Quakers three. The victory marked Oberlin’s fourth shut-out of the season, as goalkeeper Clayton Combe (Sr.) tallied two saves, both coming on free kicks, to blank the Quakers.

Oberlin first found the back of the net in the fourth minute when senior co-captain Zachary Tesler scored his third goal of the season off a corner kick by sophomore Zachary Lewis. The Yeomen would strike again in the 16th minute when the team's leading scorer, junior midfielder Sam Zackheim, scored his fifth goal of the season off an assist from first-year Skyler Dum.

The Yeomen built upon their lead in the second half to give them an added cushion. Sophomore Michael Mullaley struck a hard outside shot that bounced over the goalkeeper’s hands in the 74th minute to increase the lead to three. Mullaley is the team’s second-leading point scorer with nine points on the season. The Yeomen were not done scoring, though, as senior Tetteh Morton scored on a beautiful volley off a ball served by senior Noah Cecil, which he slotted into the lower corner of the goal.

Oberlin will next play at Ohio Wesleyan University in a NCAC game on October 11 at 7:30 p.m.

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