Nearly two years ago, the Oberlin men’s soccer team bowed out of its first ever North Coast Athletic Conference tournament in disappointing fashion, losing to Allegheny College 1-0 at home. Hopes of finishing the muchimproved year on a high dissipated, and Allegheny players taunted the Yeomen as they walked off the field to their locker room. This game would not be forgotten.

On Tuesday, the Yeomen locked horns with Allegheny in the first conference game of the season, defeating the Gators 1-0. The win took Oberlin’s undefeated home record to 15 straight games, dating back to that infamous loss. Oberlin had additional motivation to beat Allegheny after losing 4-0 last year.

The Yeomen started brightly, taking the game to the Gators early on. After finishing the non-conference schedule with a 5-2-2 record, Oberlin knew it had to start off well against a decent Allegheny side. While the heat affected both teams throughout the first half, creating periods of sluggish play, Oberlin showed its quality as it produced a fine goal in the 42nd minute to take a 1-0 lead into half time.

First-year David Lowe, who came on as a substitute, beat his defender on the outside left midfield and found junior Zach “Lulu” Lewis on the cross. Lewis did not hesitate, struck the ball the first time and scored, sending the Oberlin bench and fans into a frenzy.

Oberlin played solid defense in the second half, keeping Allegheny at bay to record the team’s sixth shutout of the year. First-year Zach Lipshultz also helped out the Yeomen, who produced several fine saves, to preserve the 1-0 score.

The Yeomen produced a solid performance last Saturday as a flurry of second-half goals helped down non-conference opponent Muskingum College 3-1. Unleashing 21 total shots on goal, the Yeomen overcame first-half frustrations to take the lead on a great run by firstyear Chris Campbell in the 65th minute. Muskingum responded just five minutes later when a lapse in the Oberlin defense allowed the Fighting Muskies to notch the equalizer.

That was it for Muskingum, though, since junior goalkeeper Derrick Bean stood firm in the net, recording four saves in the afternoon. In the 75th minute senior co-captain Sam Zackheim put the Yeomen up for good with his third goal of the season.

It seems it would not be a soccer game this year if junior Luke Hoffman did not find the back of the net. In the 83rd minute Hoffman broke away on a strong pass from junior John Lindner to score his team-leading eighth goal of the season. After the game, Zackheim was full of praise for the team’s composure after giving up a goal late in the game.

“When Muskingum tied the game with 20 minutes left, we didn’t lose our cool. I’m always emphasizing the importance of staying together on the field — mentally through our attitude, and physically through our team shape. I thought we it was awesome how we responded as a group. Aside from our work ethic and skill-level, it’s our team chemistry that will propel us this year.”

The Yeomen play at home against last year’s conference champion, Ohio Wesleyan, on Saturday. The game is among the host of athletic events going on during Oberlin’s Homecoming weekend.