Walking tall and carrying a big stick the Yeowoman field hockey team battled to an 0-4 loss against the Wittenberg Tigers.
The team was enthusiastically welcomed to the field by a small but loyal crowd of spectators led by the Yeomama, the self proclaimed unofficial side-kick to our own Super Chicken. After the coin was called, Oberlin won possession of the ball and the skirt clad woman took to the field for seventy minutes of intense playing.
Seven minutes into the first half, Wittenberg slipped into Oberlin's defensive circle and scored the first goal. Unfortunately for the Yeowomen, this was to be the predominant direction of the game. For the first 15 minutes, Wittenberg continued to dominate by keeping the Yeowomen on the defensive and the ball in Oberlin territory. Gatekeeper senior Liz Breakstone had her hands full defending the Oberlin gate from attack.
By the end of the first half, Wittenberg had scored another point, but the Yeowomen had begun to rally. Captain senior Jesse Robinson repeatedly brought the ball into Witt territory only to be repelled by a heavy defensive line and a lack of support. There were many extremely close hits and misses for the Oberlin team as they tried for a score before the end of the half.
When half-time was called, the score was 2-0, Wittenberg. As head coach Mindy Manolovich rallied the team, the zealous Yeomama was joined by the Super Chicken, on a quick loan from the football game, in an inane pep parade around the field. Needless to say, a happy Yeomama was awarded the prized half-time jersey. Meanwhile Manolovich had been pointing out the problems of the first half. She urged for quicker recovery on the mark, faster defensive position and stronger communication.
The second half played very much like the first. Wittenberg continued their heavy offensive on the field, managing a third goal within minutes of resuming the game. Breakstone made a spectacular dive for a save which unfortunately turned into a Wittenberg score as the recovered ball was knocked into the unguarded gate. Despite a valiant Oberlin effort Wittenberg continued to deny Oberlin its first goal. As the clock ticked to an end the final score remained 0-4.
"The only thing we can do in such a game is learn from it," Coach Manolovich said.
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 2, September 11, 1998
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