Women's soccer wins three straight

Although OC women's soccer has played consistently well throughout their season, the team recently managed to surpass its previous successes with a three-game winning streak. They followed that with an impressive performance against Wooster College on Wednesday despite a gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat.

"I thought we played really aggressively. Playing Wooster was like running full speed into a herd of buffalo," junior Katy Durham-Hammer said.

The Yeowomen had not lost a game since October 10, when they dropped a 5-0 decision to Denison. "Basically, everyone's minds were on midterms," coach Blake New said. But the women regained the focus needed to win their next three games.

During that stretch, they beat Kenyon College 2-0, Grove City 2-0, and Thomas More 4-1. "We played better as a team. We played with our hearts. We really wanted to win. That made the difference," junior Maia Skutel said.

"We played very well against Kenyon and Grove City in the first half but got a little complacent in the second half...With Thomas More, we put it together," New said.

With no games over Fall Break, the women went into the Wooster match having not played in over a week and a half. Still, they did not lose their momentum. They played a strong game, eventually losing not for lack of skill but rather by chance. "We played an excellent game. We adapted to their tactics and changed our style to fit theirs. For the first time this year we were physical. When we get pushed we usually take it. This time we pushed back," New said.

Wooster scored the first goal. Undeterred, the Yeowomen tied the game with a goal from senior Lisa Novins, the leading scorer in Oberlin women's soccer history. The game remained tied until the last fifteen minutes when Wooster managed to score due to a miscommunication. "After they scored, for that last fifteen minutes, we basically dominated. We did really well," Skutel said.

With their emotions riding high and their teamwork better than it has been all season, the Yeowomen are clearly a force to be reckoned with. They host conference powerhouse Earlham on Saturday at 11. "It should be a good game. We have a very good chance of winning," New said.

"I feel good about the season because we got wins. We got two ties against good teams and we fought hard the whole season," Durham-Hammer said.

The Yeowomen are currently ranked 5th in the conference. They will have a chance to boost their position to 4th Saturday.