After three games in four days, the Oberlin men’s soccer team is trying to recover quickly for its next fixture on Saturday. The team had to fight through injuries and fatigue in this early rigorous span of the season, going 1-1-1.

The Yeomen put on an impressive performance last weekend in the first Allegheny College Classic in Meadville, PA. After winning on Saturday, Oberlin could not continue the momentum, dropping the second game for the tournament title. Oberlin gave up just one goal all weekend.

The Yeomen shut out Washington and Jefferson College in dominating fashion in the first game, beating the Presidents 4-0 behind goals from junior Luke Hoffman; sophomore Skyler Dum, who had two; and first-year Chris Campbell, who recorded his first collegiate goal. First-year goalkeeper Zach Lipshultz and junior Derrick Bean combined for the shutout.

In the second game of the tournament, the Yeomen battled hard against the Rochester Institute of Technology and came away with a hard luck loss, 0-1. Oberlin actually out-shot the Tigers 7-6 on the afternoon, but a late goal was able to sneak past the Yeomen defense in the 81st minute to decide the contest.

Despite the loss, junior Kyle Taljan, Dum and first-year Wyatt Hayman were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts over the weekend.

The Yeomen did not have time to dwell on their first loss of the season as they played Baldwin-Wallace on Tuesday, Sept. 11. It took two overtimes, but when all was said and done at Fred Schults Field, the Yeomen and the Yellowjackets tied in the non-conference match-up.

The Yeomen came out hot, with senior Sam Zackheim notching a goal in the 35th minute and silencing the large group of B-W fans who made the short drive out from Berea. The Yeomen almost doubled the lead before the half was over when a sharp corner kick from junior Michael Mullaley crossed the goal line in the hands of the B-W keeper. However, the goal was blown back when it was determined that the rush of Yeomen crashing the line had forced him in.

Oberlin wasted little time in the second half when Hoffman struck in the 56th minute (his team-leading fifth goal of the season) to give the Yeomen a 2-0 lead. Hoffman has been a revelation for the Yeomen, scoring in five of the six games, and adding two assists as well. His tireless work ethic and goal-hungry attitude have been instrumental to the team.

Rather then being content with their lead, the Yeomen continued to play their precision game, striking ten shots on goal for the day. It took a fantastic effort from the B-W keeper to keep the game at 2-0. Unfortunately for the Yeomen, that lead would not last as B-W scored goals in the 59th and 68th minutes to tie the match and force overtime.

Oberlin kept the pressure on for both overtime periods, but was unable to net the game-winner. Lipshultz was staunch in the goal and made sure that the Yeomen were able to maintain the tie, an impressive result as Baldwin-Wallace came into the game ranked fifth in the region.

After the game, junior John Lindner remained positive despite dropping the chance at a key win.

“We’re in a better position right now than we were at this point in the season last year. We’ve played really well at times, but just had a few mental lapses that cost us some wins. Once the team gets healthy again, we’ll see what we can really do. I think that it looks promising, especially after Tuesday’s game against B-W. Our freshmen have contributed a lot to the effort,” said Lindner.