Yeomen falter in Converence match

The week started off well for the men's soccer team with a 4-0 win over Bluffton on Saturday to raise their record to 4-2. However, the team was unable to maintain the momentum when they faced Hiram on Tuesday; the 2-0 loss they suffered in that contest dropped their record in the conference to 1-1.

There was no apparent challenge for the Yeomen when they faced Bluffton and indeed none appeared during the game. The victory was even more convincing since the team was without three starters; senior forwards Jon Wilson and Jabali Sawicki and junior defender Stephen Menyhart all sat with injuries. The team had a good start in the game, striking quickly and scoring a goal early. Senior midfielder Zach Fine tallied on a pass from junior forward Sam Hopkins. Oberlin followed that with a blazing shot from Hopkins past the opposition's goalkeeper. Later in the half, senior midfielder David Lessinger got the ball and stuck one in the back post.

Despite dominating play, Oberlin encountered the problem of playing down to their opponents. "Because they weren't a very good team, they didn't play much; they just knocked the ball [around]," said Head Coach Blake New. "We started doing the same thing, and in the second half, that was our goal- just to come out and play some good soccer." After the break, New began making numerous substitutions to get everybody some playing time. Even the backup keeper first-year Yoav Tal -unfortunately stuck on the bench behind established junior Caleb Stokes- made two saves. Hopkins finished the team's tally when he scored one goal late in the second half.

On Monday, Hopkins was named NCAC player of the week for his outstanding performances against Capital and Bluffton. He scored two goals against Capital and was credited with two goals and an assist against Bluffton. "It was a big honor," said Hopkins. "I've sort of come around and figured out to keep my cool near the goal." Hopkins leads the team in shots (21), goals (5) and points (12).

Following the blowout against Bluffton, Oberlin faced a larger challenge when they played Hiram. Although the team did not have a lot of information about the Terriers, New stated that they would have a more difficult game noting that Hiram had tied Wooster, traditionally a good team in the conference. The game started off sour for the Yeomen with what New called "the worst half we played all season." Oberlin was poorly organized and was unable to produce any substantial results from their possessions. Their defense stood tall however, and the half closed with a 0-0 score.

Hiram scored their first goal on an "own goal" when a ball was deflected off Fine and past Stokes. "The ball took a funny bounce and it hit off my shoulder; it happened too quickly," said Fine. "I would give anything to have it back." The Terriers would score again soon, and Oberlin would be unable to muster any productive attempts.

New attributed the loss to Hiram's ten-day layoff before the game that allowed them to reorganize their offensive plays. Another contributing factor was the referee who called 40 fouls in the game - an exceptionally high amount. "I think it would have been a different game with a different official," said New.

Unfortunately, the stumble came at a bad time for the team's momentum. The Yeomen now face Earlham - ranked tenth in the country - and Ohio Wesleyan, which is ranked 14th.

"We'll have to regroup," said New. "It's going to take a very big effort for us to be ready to play Saturday and next Tuesday. We're going to have to make a lot of changes." The next two games are both in conference and are very critical in determining the outlook of the rest of Oberlin's NCAC season.

The team plays the Earlham Quakers away from the friendly Athletic Fields on Saturday. They will return to Oberlin for a contest against the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan next Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.