Oberlin pounds Marietta

Even without four players, OC dominates game

Last Saturday the men's lacrosse team obliterated Marietta College 12-1. The Yeomen attacked the opposition without the aid of four key players who were sidelined by injuries and the GREs. Fortunately, the senior leadership of Ryan Kelley and Tasker Gundy led the way for the Yeomen.

Once again Kelley overwhelmed the defense, scoring seven of the Yeomen's 12 goals. Kelley added two assists and 16 ground balls.

"It was a great game," Kelley said. Gundy had the second best offensive total with three goals and three assists. Junior Rafi Jacoby contributed the first goal of the day, and sophomore Garth Stidolph netted the first goal of his career. Oberlin easily dominated the game, almost doubling Marietta's shots on goal.

The defense was also spectacular, with goalie sophomore Haakon Faste becoming a steel curtain in the net. He saved 12 of 13 shots, letting only one slip past in the third quarter. Oberlin again faces Marietta at home, this Saturday at 1:30.

Wednesday, however, did not turn out as well for the men's lacrosse team. Oberlin faced the College of Wooster on the road, a mere seven days after losing to them 13-3. Although some starters were back, they weren't fully healed, limiting their contributions on the field. Combined with a defensive breakdown and an overall lack of communication, the troubles were enough to stop the Yeomen 20-8.

The offense showed definite improvement from their previous meeting with Wooster, scoring more and working the ball around, but the team fell back on some bad habits. The Yeomen had poor communication on the field and took some bad shots. Kelley again led the scoring with a four goal performance, supplemented by two from Krasnow. Gundy and Templeton each added one goal.

Defense was another story. Junior Dave Kumpe said. "The defense suffered mental breakdowns which led to many easy Wooster goals." The Yeomen focused too much on the ball, without seeing the entire defensive picture. This allowed Wooster to get many players open on the backside, for easy one-on-one goals.

"Both our games with Wooster were just plain ugly," junior Michael Brown said.

The Yeomen look to recover from the loss Saturday playing at home at 1:30 p.m. against Marietta.

"It should be a very good game." On Tuesday the Yeomen face an incredible Ohio Wesleyan University team, currently ranked third in the nation. The Bishops are perennially one of the better teams in the nation, and this year is no different. The Yeomen will have a tough battle, but get the opportunity to see how they match up against some of the best in the nation.