Women's soccer up and down

After promising victory, team lets up six in loss

Before Tuesday, the Yeowomen had not beaten Walsh in three attempts.

"Every time it's always been a frustrating game," senior Camille Macpherson said. "It's always been a close game. Games, where we knew we could have won had we played better."

This time the Yeowomen wouldn't let Walsh frustrate them, earning themselves a 3-1 victory. On Saturday though, the Yeowomen showed signs of previous years during a 6-1 loss to Wilmington College. Against Walsh, the Yeowomen jumped out to a two goal half-time lead. After junior Katherine Roberts crossed the ball, senior Aparna Jain opened up the scoring by rebounding her own shot. Then first-year Andrea Mignolo sent in a bullet from the top of the penalty box to give the Yeowomen a 2-0 half-time lead.

The momentum switched in the second half as Walsh halved Oberlin's lead with its first and only goal. The goal came off an off-side play, in which the referee didn't call off-sides.

Oberlin's off-sides play involves letting the opposing attackers get behind the Yeowomen defenders. When the attackers receive the ball, they are off-sides which is a foul and an indirect free kick for the Yeowomen. But the strategy depends on whether the referee's whistle is blown.

The Yeowomen wouldn't have anything to do with a Walsh comeback though. Sophomore Lisa Novins quickly put the game out of reach with a breakaway goal. The Yeowomen returned with a 3-1 victory, and ended their three-season drought against Walsh.

"I never doubted that we were going to beat them," said Macpherson. "We still have to work on scoring more. It was a much closer game than it should have been. We were at least three more goals better than them."

Defensively, the Yeowomen were superb. First-year Erin Williamson was a standout.

In the midfield, "Katherine Roberts had a real gutsy performance," Coach Blake New said. Roberts played the entire second half without being able to breathe out of her nose, because of congestion.

Controlling the midfield sets the tempo of the game. "She's just a nice presence in the middle of the field," New said. The game was too close for the Yeowomen to play without one of their best skilled players.

"We really all played pretty well," New said.

The Yeowomen traveled to Wilmington College Saturday to play under the lights against one of the best teams in the region.

Wilmington has played in the NCAA Division III tournament twice in the last four years and is ranked second in the region.

"There were some great parts of the game," Oakley said. But the final score was 6-1 against Oberlin.

"I am disappointed, not in our effort, but in the way we played as a team," New said about the game. "We didn't stick to our game plan."

Against a much faster Wilmington team, the Yeowomen wanted to slow things down and avoid exposing their defense.

Like any good team Wilmington found the Yeowomen's weakness and exploited it. Wilmington shredded the Yeowomen defense and scored six goals in the first 60 minutes of play. During that same time period, the Yeowomen failed to attack as a team, letting Novins and Macpherson account for the team's offense.

But in the last 30 minutes of play the Yeowomen picked up their game and the defense stiffened, preventing their opponents from scoring another goal. The offense also began penetrating the Wilmington defense.

"We didn't get shut out," Oakley said. First-year Mia Skutel scored her first Oberlin goal in the second half.

Oakley and first-year Erin Williamson both played solid defense, each saving a goal. Oakley swiped the ball away from underneath the feet of a unguarded dribbler at 16 yards. Williamson prevented a ball from crossing the goal-line with her feet.

After three straight road games against Hiram College, Wilmington College and Walsh College, the team is starting a homestand.

The Yeowomen have two home games next week in which to work on their scoring. Saturday, the Yeowomen host Marietta College and play Mount St. Joesph College on Wednesday.

Run for it:Senior Mikylah Myers tries to get a foot on the ball as sophomore Lisa Novins dribbles in practice. (photo by Mike Oleson)