Field Hockey Knocks off Earlham in 6-2 Victory
by Liz Logan

Oberlin field hockey’s victory over Earlham College on Saturday, Sept. 8, was a true demonstration of the Yeowomen’s unity and drive to win.
After scrimmaging the Quakers in the preseason and winning 2-0, the team had high hopes for the real contest. But the game was not what they expected, with the Quakers tying them up 2-2 by the end of the first half. With the Quakers putting every obstacle in their way, the Yeowomen took their playing to a new level to finish off the game with a impressive final score of 6-2.
“We started off the game well, but had a pretty significant let up for whatever reason about 20 minutes into the first half,” Coach Liz Graham said.
“We sort of collapsed and let Earlham come back into the game,” she added.
“We may have underestimated Earlham a little bit,” junior mid-fielder Briana Quinn said, “and this was certainly a stronger team than we have ever seen from them.”
Said Graham, “When we get nervous we play a different style, a style that gave Earlham an advantage, but in the second half we did what we wanted to do with the ball. Communication by both offense and defense got much better — that was something that had been missing.”
In the second half, every Oberlin player was stepping it up — giving her all to get the ball to the goal no matter what it took. Even in the last seconds of the game every player was taking the field by storm. The whole team was working, driving the ball at the opponent’s goal with fast and furious stick work.
In the first half, both teams vied for possession of the ball pushing back and forth so action occurred at both ends of the field. But in the second half, the Yeowomen maintained possession of the ball with their speed and skillful passing, keeping the game’s action almost entirely centered around Earlham’s goal. Great drives by constantly moving mid-fielders Quinn and Emily Johnson kept the heat on the Quakers’ defense.
Oberlin displayed its offensive might as they pounced on Earlham, scoring four goals with lightning speed. Three minutes into the second half, Oberlin was already leading 3-2 — and kept pushing harder and harder until their score of 6 had completely overshadowed the 2-2 tie in the first half.
“Earlham caught us off guard,” senior captain Jessica Raynor said, “but we regrouped during halftime and soon our attackers were in control so we dominated the second half.”
“We were using the width of the field,” Graham said, “moving the ball to the sides and then down the field and that was very effective.” “Oberlin was in charge of the second half and we were a commanding force,” said senior goalie Pamela Walker, who has yet to be scored upon this season. “There was much better communication and direction all across the field in the second half and that really helped us to win.”
“The pressure was on once we were tied because we knew we were capable of beating their team,” said first year Jamie Johnson, who scored two goals for Oberlin, one in each period. “We really did not want to go into overtime so we picked up the pace,” said Johnson, who scored her second goal three minutes into the second half.
Other goals were driven in by senior Claire Sturm, junior Briana Quinn, and senior Emily Johnson with assists from junior Chaney Stewman and senior Vanessa Wirth.
Raynor, senior and team captain, has seen the team change, evolving into a more effective whole. “This season our team is using a different lineup, moving the center back to center midfield so there is no sweeper. This makes us more vulnerable defensively, but it makes us a lot more aggressive offensively. The score definitely shows how effective this strategy is — and the fact that as a team we’ve scored 12 goals in only two games is remarkable compared to previous seasons.”

Raynor and Quinn feel that this year’s team is strong because it has an older element of unified, experienced upperclassmen, but also the younger vitality of new players like Jamie Johnson who are effective on the attack. Raynor says the switch of the speedy Wirth from the cherry picker position (center forward) to right wing has made it much easier for the team to get the ball down the field.
“We’re also a lot more vocal on the field,” Raynor said. “There’s more communication going on and the scores are truly showing it.”
“I’m impressed with the way our team played,” Quinn said. “We’re scoring a lot and there are a lot of different people scoring. Particularly our offensive players like Chaney Stewman, Emily and Jamie Johnson have all played well consistently.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 18, the Yeowomen will travel to Denison to challenge their old rival. “We have the opportunity to place in the top,” Quinn predicts.
The Earlham victory showed the Yeowomen’s willingness to fight for a victory. “Earlham is a team that doesn’t give up easily,” Graham said, “they’ve been at the bottom of the NCAC conference for a long time, so they have a tough, underdog mentality. And they do have some, but not a lot, of strong players who create a lot of opportunities offensively.”
Raynor is proud of her team’s progress. “Earlham and Transylvania are generally ranked lower than us, but we played the best we could and kept our standards high, scoring as much as possible in the time allotted. We really did not let opportunities pass us by.”