Field hockey team outshot, has three losses

A shortened bench and poor officiating have spelled three straight losses for the field hockey team. Losses to DePauw University and the College of Wooster on the road, combined with a loss to Wittenberg University at home have netted the Yeowomen an 0-3 record to start the 1997 season.

Oberlin began it's season on Saturday at home against Wittenberg. The team played poorly, losing by the whopping tally of 8-0. Wittenberg pressured Oberlin from the outset of the game, leaving them few opportunities to assert themselves in the match.

"We were not aggressive enough," sophomore Gretchen Wachter said. The statistics spoke for themselves in this game. Oberlin had only one shot on goal to Wittenberg's 42.

Frustration mounted towards the end of the game, resulting in bone-crunching body check thrown by senior Ellen Scott to a Wittenberg player.

Despite their poor showing, Coach Mindy Manolovich had some positive things to say. "They were the best team for us to play in order to learn." Learn the Yeowomen must, because the ball spent the majority of the game in Oberlin's defensive zone.

The constant pressure that Wittenberg applied affected the Yeowomen's stamina. By the end of the game, they had little energy left to compete with a team that dressed 24 players, compared to Oberlin's 15. "We had no subs and our team got tired," goal-tender junior Elizabeth Breakstone said.

Oberlin's schedule did not give them much time to recover as they played DePauw the next day. The shot-on-goal total was rather lopsided in this affair. DePauw had 44 to Oberlin's 3. The Yeowomen still kept this game close but lost 1-0.

DePauw scored on a questionable officiating call. The referee called a stroke, and Breakstone fouled during the stroke, resulting in the game winning goal. "The call was unfair," Breakstone said.

This was not the first time that bad officiating had crossed Oberlin's path. Against Wittenberg the referee let several questionable fouls go by without a call. Manolovich did not hesitate to bring this to the officials attention, and was issued a warning in the first half for arguing these "non-calls."

"We do not want officials to dictate the game," Manolovich said. "But we will not use the officiating as an excuse for losing."

The Yeowomen rounded out their first week of play with a 3-1 loss at Wooster. This game included their first goal of the season, scored by Scott. Oberlin entered the second half tied 1-1, but let the game slip away. "The score did not reflect the game we played. We were upbeat and intense," Wachter said.

This game saw another low shot-on-goal total for Oberlin, as they managed four to Wooster's 25.

The Yeowomen must be concerned about the discrepancy between the amount of shots they are giving up and the amount they are taking. Partly, this stems from the team's defensive oriented game that is neccesary with their small player roster. This type of system will result in an inflated shot count. "We must improve our individual defensive support and eliminate errors," Manolovich said. "Don't be reactive, be proactive."

Manolovich takes an interesting position on the lopsided game statistics that would seem to carry a negative connotation. "We are the most precise team, more accurate. Our skill level and abilities to finish are better than our opponents," she said.

Regardless of accuracy, Oberlin has had only twelve shots on goal and one scored goal through three games. Not many games will be won at this rate.

It is still relatively early in the season and the team is trying to build on some of the positives they took away from their losses. Goal tenders Breakstone and senior Jessica Rigby played well in their starts. The goal tender becomes a key position when there's a limited number of field players. The goal tender must be a dominant force in the game when faced with a high number of shots-on-goal as there have been.

"Liz is a wall. She's tough," Wachter said about Breakstone.

Looking ahead to Saturday, the Yeowomen are facing Denison University at home. "Denison is a strong, fast, aggressive team. We have to out-hustle them to the ball," Manolovich said.

Hustle is an admirable quality in an athlete, but it will not win too many games when it is up against skill and bench depth, which some of Oberlin's opponents have in abundance.