Men's soccer halts nine-year draught with victories

It's not over until the fat lady sings, and there is certainly no fat lady on the men's soccer team. This past week the Yeomen pulled out two difficult victories, against La Roche College last Saturday and Wooster on Wednesday, boosting their overall record to 9-8-1 and their conference record to 3-5. Both games resulted in narrow 2-1 victories.

The team won against La Roche, but nobody brought out the silver platter. "It was an away game which is always tougher," said Head Coach Blake New. "It was a small field against a team with a lot of energy." The Yeomen did not start the game in control. After giving up yet another easy goal, Oberlin headed to the half down by one. The team attempted to adjust for many of their problems by playing with three forwards and putting on a lot of pressure. With this realignment and a renewed enthusiasm from the midfield, junior forward Sam Hopkins and senior forward Jabali Sawicki both managed to score, putting the team on top for the win.

The game against Wooster was similarly challenging. Again it was on the road. Moreover, they would have to play through heavy snows. "I couldn't see the other goal at some times," said junior goalkeeper Caleb Stokes. However, OC controlled much of the game. Hopkins scored two goals to give the team the lead. The opposition scored with about 20 minutes left but were unable to produce another before the final whistle.

Although Oberlin did allow one goal in the game, they had fixed their problem of allowing cheap scores by the opposition. The score came from a good cross pass by the Wooster offense and not a defensive mistake by the Yeomen.

"Caleb Stokes played his best game of the season," said New. "He kept [Wooster] out, played well in the air, afor us." Stokes's efforts would allow the team to hold out until the end to win over Wooster.

The win itself was a high point - "A conference win on the road is huge," said Stokes - but when viewed in the context of the entire season, it was even more important. The win - their third of the season in the NCAC - tripled last year's conference wins total. "It is the first time the team has won more than one conference victory in a season since I have been here," said senior captain Zach Fine. "It feels better than warm apple pie."

In fact, it is the first time in nine years the team has won more than two conference victories in a season. The team is now assured of a .500 season, and they have the chance to finish over .500 on Saturday when they face Denison - another feat not accomplished in nine years. It has been a goal of the team all year. They have a good chance of accomplishing that goal especially with Hopkins on their side. He is tied for the most goals in the conference. He has 15 goals and four assists. "I haven't scored this many goals since I was in grade school," said Hopkins. In addition, New pointed out that this was the first time in 10 years that Oberlin had beaten Wooster.

The team face Denison on the road on Saturday. It will give the team their last chance to affirm their status as the best team at Oberlin in ten years.

"We have a lot left to play for, and at this time of year a lot of teams lose their focus," said New. "When it comes down to this time of year, desire determines a lot.

"I know the guys aren't satisfied with just this win, and they'll be ready to play on Saturday," he added.

"I'm excited. We have a lot of momentum," said Fine. "We're going to go into this next game with a lot of confidence."

Remember to give the Yeomen a hearty cheer when they return!