Field Hockey adds win, closes regular season

There was no vacation for the field hockey team this past week. The Yeowomen played four games over Fall Break to end their regular season, netting 1 win and 3 losses.

The team began its break Sunday against Bridge-water College in Virginia. They dropped another game on Tuesday against Frostburg University in Maryland by the score of 3-1. Oberlin then headed home to play Houghton College on Saturday, and came away with a 2-1 loss. The Yeowomen's regular season ended on Sunday with an exclamation point, thrashing division wimp Earlham College 5-0.

While the 1-3 record over fall break would seem disappointing, the Yeowomen were proud of the efforts they displayed against more talented opponents. Sophomore Gretchen Wachter said, "These were positive games for us. We couldn't be faulted anywhere." Considering the Yeowomen's poor play before the break, they have to be happy with their improvement. They lost 3-0 to the college of Wooster at home, and 6-0 at Denison University.

Coach Mindy Manolovich called their game at Bridgewater College, "the best game of the season." The Yeowomen came out of the corner swinging in this match, and caught Bridgewater on the chin when first-year Danyel Brisk scored the first goal of the game. They could not keep up their pace, unfortunately, and the scrappy Bridgwater team rallied with two goals in the second half, one of which came on a stroke. Oberlin had opportunities to score in this affair, but they failed on six corner shots in the second half.

Oberlin played another strong game at Frostburg, which Wachter called, "The best team we have played all year." The Yeowomen again scored the first goal of the game, but let the lead slip away. Coach Manolovich said, "We were playing not to lose, rather than to win." Strong play continued from the first-years at Frostburg, with Annabeth Macy scoring the team's only goal.

With their road-trip completed, Oberlin came home for its final two games of the regular season. The Yeowomen lost their first game to Houghton. Several things hurt the Yeowomen in this game. They played five minutes down a man when the referee gave senior Ellen Scott a yellow card for stick obstruction. The Yeowomen also missed a stroke, which would have put them ahead. Oberlin, however, dominated possession most of the game. Junior Jesse Robinson scored the goal for the Yeowomen.

The Yeowomen finished their season against Earlham, the only team they beat this year. Before the game, the team set a goal of scoring five goals. Why five? Because this was the last home game ever for the five seniors, Jessica Toubman, Kate Daloz, Jessica Rigby, Brooke Howard, and Ellen Scott.

The Yeowomen left their home field on Sunday with 5 goals, one for each Senior. Although not every senior scored a goal, Scott had 4 and Daloz 1, the team still accomplished this objective. First-year Abigail Chatfield said, "It was the first goal that we set, that we met."

Oberlin finished their season with 2 wins and 15 losses. While most would consider this a disappointment, the Yeowomen gained some satisfaction from this season. Chatfield said, "We had a really good season. We have played some really tough games."

The team improved significantly throughout the season. For example, they started the season with a pathetic 8-0 loss to Wittenberg University. In their second game against Wittenberg, they lost 2-0 on Wittenberg's Astroturf Field. Oberlin also entered the season with a 15-man roster, compared to some opponents 34-man rosters. Among this roster were 4 first-years. It certainly took some time for this team to gel, and maybe too late. Wachter said, "We are playing so well. It is a shame that the season has to end."

Oberlin plays two more games this weekend in the Regional Tournament at Kenyon. This tournament will settle team's final Divisional rankings. Although these game will amount to little, it is an opportunity for the Yeowomen to prove their might.

Drilltime: The Field Hockey team, in one of their final practices, work on ball control.(photo by John Matney)