Yeomen soccer wins two, climbs back up to .500

Students who face a long semester of work to achieve an "A" are getting their first positive signs as early homework assignments are returned. The Oberlin College men's soccer team is also receiving positive feedback on their progress toward their goals for the season.

After a discouraging start to their season, including a 7-2 loss to Mount Union and a 5-1 loss to Heidelberg, the team was victorious over both Defiance College on Saturday and Kenyon College on Wednesday.

Saturday's victory over Defiance started slowly. Oberlin's first score came midway into the first half off of an own goal {ed. note- a point scored accidentally by a player against his or her own team} scored by a Defiance defender following a shot by senior forward Yair Evnine. Defiance managed to even the score, and at the half the game was tied at 1-1. Following some halftime player substitutions, Oberlin made a strong showing in the second half.

"We did a good job of possessing the ball early on, but we tried to attack too much centrally," said head coach Blake New. "Once we figured that out, we made the change in the second half and tried to focus on attacking them down the [side]line. We got some quality chances."

Those quality chances were transferred into five more goals. Two were scored by senior forward Jon Wilson, last year's leading scorer. One came on a beautiful flying header from senior forward Jabali Sawicki, another by first-year midfielder Richard Braithwaite, and the last by first-year forward Will Singer on an assist from senior forward Steve Kehler. The final 6-1 score gave the packed grandstand something to cheer about.

By the end of the game, the majority of the bench had made an appearance on the field and made their contributions to the game. New remarked that he didn't just put players in the game to rest starters, but that he wanted them to get the opportunity to learn and help the team out.

Despite the impressive victory, the team was not completely satisfied. "It's nice to win, but we have to pick it up if we want to win the conference," said Wilson. "We've got a lot of work to do."

"[Defiance] is a weaker team than we played before," said junior goalkeeper Caleb Stokes. "A lot of these goals were not pretty, but they were based on hustle. That was something that was really lacking in the Heidelberg game."

The team would have to hustle when they faced Kenyon on Wednesday. Last year's game against the Lords resulted in a 8-0 loss for Oberlin. Kenyon has also advanced to the semi-finals of two of the last four championships. "They have been traditionally a powerhouse in our conference," said New. "It's a mental hurtle that you have to overcome."

Oberlin faced an additional challenge due to injuries to starters Wilson and junior defender Stephen Menyhart. The match was characterized by high intensity levels and fundamentally sound soccer from both sides. Although both teams failed to score in the first half, the game was not uneventful. There were many close calls, shots skimming bars, and diving saves. Tensions were raised when sophomore defender Abe Jaffe committed a foul inside the Oberlin penalty box, and Kenyon was awarded a penalty-kick. Stokes faced off against a lone forward and came up with the save, blocking Kenyon's best chance of the half.

The excitement carried into the second half where attack after attack from both teams was turned away. Finally, Oberlin broke through with a goal from senior midfielder Zach Fine. Fine slipped behind the defense and was able to put a quick cross into the back of the net. Oberlin focused their intention on defense for the rest of the game while Kenyon went on an all out attack. New attributes the team's victory to their good game plan; they sat back and made Kenyon try to come to them.

Since the two victories came at the heels of the losses to Mount Union and Heidelberg, OC should be revved up for next Wednesday's match at Capital University. Oberlin is now 2-2 and has yet to play an NCAC game.