Return to the Official History

Horsecows suffer setback in Bloomington

This past weekend on the slanted fields of Bloomington, Indiana, the Oberlin Flying Horsecows encountered something that had been a foreign concept thus far in the 1998-99 campaign: disappointment. For the first time in either the fall or two-tournament-old spring season, the 'Cows were seeded first. And for the first time in the past three tournaments, the 'Cows did not make the finals. As senior captain John Fedota said, "We forgot we were good for the weekend, and sucked accordingly."

The weekend started out on a down note, but not an uncharacteristic one. Bloomington club team Guano, underseeded at fifth in the Horsecows' pool, was able to take advantage of Oberlin's typical Saturday morning rough edges, and of the 'Cows' difficulty playing experienced club teams. Oberlin did not help themselves, with poor mental play and many easy catches dropped. The weather, though, was much improved over Oberlin weather, but still a little nasty, with wind, temperatures in the high 30s and periodic snow flurries. The Horsecows, even with the combination of factors, were able to keep the upfield-downfield-upwind-downwind game close, falling 11-9 in a capped game.

The day's next three games were all against college teams within the 'Cows' region, and there was gradual improvement in Oberlin's play through the day. The 'Cows had beaten Denison 15-1 in the Arctic Vogue tournament in their only other college match of the season, and seemed determined not to let their undefeated record be spoiled on Saturday. They would not be disappointed.

Ohio State came first, and were easily dispatched 13-8 in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated, with OSU scoring twice on game point before the 'Cows put them away. Next was Purdue, and a game where it took quite a while for either team to score. However, once the scoring had commenced, Oberlin dominated, and were able to get many of the less-experienced players quality playing time in a 13-6 victory. The Purdue game was as the only one where Oberlin won by seven or more; it was also the only game of the weekend in which the 'Cows were able to maximize their power rating for national ratings.

The day's final game against second-seeded host Indiana was the toughest since the first. In a low-scoring affair, the Horsecows were able to maximize their efforts and win 10-5 in a capped game. Oberlin's bye came last, so the 'Cows were able to watch the Oberlin Praying Manti, the women's ultimate frisbee win the final match of their one-day tourney before retiring for the evening.

The 'Cows came out the next morning to balmy, mid-40s temperatures, a clear blue sky above them and a field slanted to the side with only mild crosswinds. Their opponent in the quarterfinals was Northwestern, who had given the 'Cows a game of it in their previous meeting. Sadly, the 'Cows fell 13-7 on that fateful October day. Thus, Oberlin was determined to show their Sunday game faces and to show just what kind of team they were. They did, taking the game to half at 7-2 and winning 9-3 in a capped game.

The win put them in the semifinals against the Illinois Martians, an up-and-coming team that the 'Cows had watched fall to Georgia Tech in November at the Tennessee tournament. The 'Cows came out confident - perhaps a little too much so - but so did Illinois. After taking an early lead, Oberlin fell behind and Illinois took the game to half at 8-7.

Oberlin came out with a surge in the second half, but Illinois responded with a surge of their own, taking an 11-9 lead. The 'Cows came back to even the game at 11, but the Martians jumped back ahead to a 13-11 lead. On the subsequent point, a soft cap was set, and Oberlin responded by scoring two in a row, again, to even the contest at 13. After another Illinois score, a hard cap was set at 16, though the Martians could have won with a score right then and there. They were denied that on a series of remarkable defensive points by the 'Cows, especially first-year Isaac "Inky" Deter-Wolf. Thanks to those efforts, Oberlin drew even at 14. However, Oberlin had gone to the well once too often on sheer experience and individual skill, and an offense that had been problematic all weekend was unable to produce another point, with the 'Cows falling 16-14.

The last point was perhaps most emblematic of the weekend; a good defensive effort led to a forced turnover, followed by careless, sloppy offense and a blown coverage on the turnover leading to the final score. The loss ended the 'Cows unbeaten record in college play, and put their record for the tournament at 4-2, and 8-4 overall for the season.

The weekend was not without bright spots, however. It saw the return to action of junior Paul Pitcher, whose remarkable recovery from last fall's shoulder surgery allowed him to finish the swimming season in the pool and start the disc season on the field. Returning, too, was Jim "Coach Bob" Woodroffe, OC '98, who helped make up for the absence of starting senior handlers Scott "DQ" Houghtaling and Sandy Bilus. Also missing from action were two other regulars, sophomore Nick Dent and first-year Adam Marvel.

But the weak performance can- not be blamed on the absence of several players, even if they were starters and regulars. The overall game the 'Cows brought to Bloomington was decidedly subpar and hardly indicative of their talents. "Yes, it sucks to lose to a team that is not at our level," Fedota said, "But it also showed us we're not quite at the level we thought we were."

The Flying Horsecows next play the first weekend of spring break, March 20-21, at the Terminus tournament in Atlanta, Georgia. They then play at College Easterns in Wilmington, North Carolina, where they will see the fiercest competition they have seen in their entire '98-99 campaign. If they are to hold their heads high at that tournament, they would be wise to remember what this semifinal loss felt like and quick to forget the play that got them there.

-Jacob Kramer-Duffield is a member of the ultimate frisbee team.