The Oberlin College Yeowomen lost their final game to Wittenberg College last Saturday afternoon, 2-0. The Yeowomen began the first half with a little difficulty, allowing both goals within the first quarter of play.

“We just had some trouble playing the ball quickly in the first half,” said Head Coach Andy Nelson. “We were consistently winning the ball; however it wasn’t until the second half that we really stepped up and started to play the balls we won.”

Indeed, the Oberlin Yeowomen quickly rebounded in the second half, allowing no goals past. “In the first half we were losing 2-0 and then during halftime we had to decide if we wanted to play or not,” said first-year Leslie Mills. “We decided we were tired of losing and giving up goals, so we went back out there and stopped letting them score. It was just a really powerful way to end the game and a great way to finish up the season.”

Senior Alison Palmer played extraordinarily well in goal with 19 saves compared to Wittenberg College’s five. This great play on Palmer’s part secured her the position of game MVP and got her the hustle jacket for the day. Palmer finished the season with an average of four saves per game and about five hundred minutes of game time.

Junior Laurie Stein exhibited great defensive skill, keeping the number of breakaways down. Sophomore Sam Schongalla had two shots, while senior Leah Frederickson, senior Ellie Fitzpatrick and sophomore Leah Bellow-Handleman all played very well offensively with one shot each. Wittenberg had 14 shots to Oberlin’s five.

This game wrapped up the season for the Oberlin women’s soccer team. “This is one of the best seasons that I have ever had with a team, regardless of our record. The team members were just so dedicated to the sport and the leadership and hard work has really impressed me,” said Nelson.

The team ends with three wins, 13 losses and one tie. When asked to reflect on the season, first-year Sarah Kotcon replied, “It really didn’t end the way we wanted, but this season has been very productive and we’re going to build on it and come back next season much improved.”