Dusting off any cobwebs from last season and building on a solid performance in the Lycoming College Classic, the Oberlin men’s soccer team secured back-to-back wins last weekend. An Oberlin team boasting a talented mix of youth and experience defeated both Olivet College and Anderson University with identical 2-1 scores. Last weekend’s victories secured a 3-0-1 record for the Yeomen.
“I was very pleased with the way we played,” head coach Blake New said of the victories.
The “180 degree turn” in attitude and work rate described by New was showcased for the home supporters this weekend. New highlighted the work that still needs to be done, though. “I thought we played well, but we need to sharpen up. We definitely had momentary lapses where we drew too many players to the flanks and left the middle exposed.” The 3-0-1 record suggests that New has assembled a team that will prove wrong the pundits at the NCAC who predicted a last place finish for the Yeomen.
Olivet College was the first visiting team to set foot on Oberlin’s soccer field this year. In the early minutes of the match, it appeared they would steal a victory. Olivet’s players were physically more imposing than the Yeomen and showed early on that they had every intention of using that to their advantage. The best example of the rough play was a tussle between Olivet’s forward and Oberlin’s left midfielder, junior Phil Kresniske. Kresniske reacted to the challenge, and the referee had to step in and calm the situation.
As the first half wore on, Oberlin began to impose their dominance through clever link up play in the midfield and a solid defense. The Yeomen’s back four, consisting of seniors Luke Eisenhauer and Will Singer, junior Jamie Davis and sophomore Nick Franco, held strong, keeping Olivet at bay.
Singer warranted praise from New, who said of the right back, “I think we’ve finally found the place for Will; it has solidified the back and he has been tremendous.”
Sophomore Max Hellerman and first-year Dave Wilson worked tirelessly to steady central midfield. The outside midfield pairing of junior Danny Homan and first-year Evan Childress complemented the forwards with well-timed forward runs, a trend that was effectively continued by the pairing of Kresniske and junior Issaku Kohl. The Yeomen’s work rate and passing were rewarded in the 40th minute when senior Richard Braithwaite controlled a sublime 40-yard pass from Alex Potzrebowski and carried past two defenders to score his fourth goal of the season. This gave the Yeomen a 1-0 lead, which they carried to halftime.
Olivet made regular substitutions to try and wrench the game back from Oberlin. Inspired by forward Omar Hayat, Olivet asked questions of the resolute Yeoman defense by attacking regularly. Wilson secured a second goal for Oberlin in the 63rd minute with an unassisted strike of some class. He nipped the ball past the last defender and rippled the back of the net with a low driven shot. Olivet continued to attack and Hayat took advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration by Oberlin to score off a set piece in the 80th minute. The goal came as little consolation, though, as the Yeoman held on to win the tie 2-1.
The victory was slightly dulled by the ankle injury sustained by Davis, who has been an integral part of Oberlin’s defensive structure. The injury is expected to keep Davis out of action for about two weeks.
Anderson University, who beat Oberlin 7-3 last season, promised to be a tougher test for an Oberlin side that was playing its second match in as many days. Anderson picked up where they had left off last year, playing some attacking football in the early minutes of the game and firing a total of 13 shots at the Oberlin goal.
The Yeoman countered well, using both flanks and stretching out the Anderson defense. This culminated in a lovely cut back cross from Homan, which junior Jesse Kipp rose to meet on the edge of the six-yard box and headed down well. Eddie Kratzit, Anderson’s goalkeeper, did well to keep out Kipp’s goal bound effort. It was Anderson who had the early chances, and Singer once again proved his worth with a sliding goal line clearance to keep the game scoreless.
Oberlin counterattacked effectively and with good speed, but neither team was able to maintain possession for long periods of time. Oberlin took control of the game as halftime rolled around. They started the second half with similar fervor, with Braithwaite bagging his fifth goal of the season in the 50th minute after a skilled and determined run from Hellerman.
Although Oberlin began to look like the better team, Anderson attacked regularly and didn’t allow the Yeomen to kill the game off. As the game wore on, Oberlin began to show some signs of fatigue.
“[The heat] definitely affected individual players and we countered that by using more players,” New said. “We feel confident of the guys on the bench. Had we been fresh and sharp many more chances could have been finished.”
Even as a first-year, Lincoln Smith is proving to be a calming influence for Oberlin by providing solid cover between the posts. Smith recorded 10 saves for the game, and cleanly intercepted a number of crosses. Smith still has to mature a bit as a keeper, however, as an uncharacteristic mistake led to an Anderson equalizer in the 89th minute that sent the game into overtime. He came off his line to intercept a pass, but not nearly aggressively enough, leaving an empty goal into which an Anderson forward sent a looping header. New said that “Lincoln made the right decision to come off his line, but he hesitated.”
The Yeomen came out for over-time hungry for a win and capable of getting one. Anderson kept attacking, threatening at times to win the nailbiter with a golden goal, but Oberlin’s determined and organized play won out in the end. Hellerman, notching his second assist for the match, revived an attack that seemed dead. After dribbling past a hapless left back, he needled a pass through to Braithwaite, who scored the perfect poacher’s goal. It was his second goal of the game and his sixth of the season. The goal came in the 107th minute, the second period of overtime.
This weekend’s games highlighted the depth of the team. “In the past, we would have missed a player of Jamie’s caliber, but [junior] Karl [Duderstadt] stepped in and played well,” said New.
The injuries have mounted, with key figures such as senior Simon Spaid, sophomore Mitchell Bartlett, sophomore Joel Witmer and Davis either out with injuries or still recovering. The Yeomen will need their depth in light of these injuries when they host Carnegie Mellon University on Sept. 14.