This week was a busy one for the women’s soccer team. The Yeowomen competed against Denison University on Saturday, Notre Dame College of Ohio on Monday and St. Vincent College on Wednesday. After losing the first game in the series, the team was able to bounce back to win the second game and tie the third.
Against St. Vincent, Oberlin’s defense was solid in the first half. St. Vincent could not even attempt to get a shot off without Oberlin defenders there to stop them. Unfortunately for the Yeowomen, St. Vincent’s defense was also on top of its game. The half ended 0-0.
In the second half, the St. Vincent offense appeared much stronger than it had previously. But the Yeowomen also took it up a notch and created more pressure against their opponent’s offense.
“In the second half we developed more of a sense of urgency, realizing that this was a winnable game,” first-year Laurie Stein said. “With that came more possession of the ball and more scoring chances.”
The team had a few good runs down the field toward the goal, but finishing was harder than it looked.
“Finishing is always the tricky bit,” sophomore Emily Racher said. “It takes one final massive effort to twist yourself in the right position to knock the ball in the net.”
Unable to finish scoring opportunities throughout the second half, the game went into double overtime and ended with the final score 0-0.
“I’ve had trouble capitalizing on scoring opportunities all season,” Stein said. “Clearly it’s something I’ll have to work on in practice.”
In Monday’s game at Notre Dame of Ohio, Notre Dame scored the first goal, but Oberlin responded with 39:00 left in the half. Sophomore Magdelen Dale assisted Racher with a cross and Racher was able to finish it off by heading it into the net.
In the second half, Oberlin dominated. They were able to shut off all scoring opportunities from Notre Dame and they scored two more goals to assist in their win. Junior Tessa Stevens scored with an assist from junior Chelsea Wallis and junior Sarah Kipp scored the final goal with an assist from junior Mara Brecht.
“It felt good to come away with a win on Monday after a slight losing streak,” Stein said.
Denison, currently ranked 17th in Division III by National Soccer Coaches Association of America, proved to be a worthy opponent in last Saturday’s home game. Denison stopped all Oberlin scoring opportunities early in the game and continued to do so throughout the contest. They scored the first and only goal early in the first half. The game ended 1-0.
“Losing 1-0 to a ranked opponent isn’t altogether a bad thing,” Stein said, “especially since we were able to put together some offensive possession in the second half.”
The next games for the women’s soccer team will be tomorrow at Wittenberg University at 1 p.m. and on Wednesday against Allegheny College on the Athletic Fields at 4:30 p.m.