Yeomen step up to notch another win

The number three possesses holy undertones for many people of the world.

The Oberlin men's soccer team would probably agree. They won their third straight game this past Wednesday against Capital University. The 3-1 victory gave the team a record of 3-2, 1-0 in the NCAC. They had been struggling to muster the confidence needed to win, but against Capital the desire was certainly there.

The team did not play last weekend, so they had a whole week off after their monumental victory over Kenyon. "[The time off] has actually been good for us because it gave us time to really let the victory sink in and understand how much work it takes to win a hard game like that," said Head Coach Blake New. "I've seen that in practice the last couple of days, people are more intense."

The victory over Kenyon represented a major advancement for the team, but it was important that they didn't have a let down against Capital on Tuesday. Oberlin would also be playing without two of their starters - senior forward Jon Wilson and junior defender Stephen Menyhart. The field that Capital plays on posed the biggest problem for the team. According to New, it is a smaller field and not in the best of shape, which makes it hard to get good footing.

They had no problem controlling play once the game started, however. They finished the first half up 1-0 from a goal by senior midfielder Zach Fine. In the second half, the opposition would score off of what New called a "cheap goal." Oberlin had relaxed when the ball went out of play, but the linesman did not notice, and Capital played it in for the score.

"Then the Sam Hopkins show started," New said.

The next Oberlin goal came off a free kick. Junior midfielder Sam Hopkins curled the ball over the wall [Editorial note: an arrangement of defensive players to block an offensive player's angle at the goal on a free kick] and into the upper corner of the goal. Hopkins would later score again after receiving the ball on the left side and beating a defender.

Although usually a midfielder, junior Sam Hopkins has been playing at the forward position in the absence of Wilson. "Sam stepped up," said senior forward Jabali Sawicki "He just busted it open." Sawicki also noted the increased leadership that captains Fine and Hopkins exuded was filtering down through the whole team, and that players are starting to play with more intensity. "Sam may never play midfield again," said New, who was obviously impressed with Hopkins's performance. "He has added a dimension to our game up there that we didn't have previously. His work rate is tremendous, and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time." New also mentioned the consistency of Fine's playing and junior sweeper Ian Maher's ability to keep the team organized on the field.

"Once we establish the first couple of wins, we're confident going into each game trying to add on to our winning streak." said Sawicki. That's a confidence that they will need when they face non-conference Bluffton, who have also beat Capital this season. "We have an excellent chance to go four and two." said New. "If we play well, we'll be all right." The team plays at Bluffton College tomorrow.