Women’s Soccer Wins Two Games Over Weekend

The women’s soccer team and staff pose on Fred Shults Field. Courtesy of Amanda Phillips

Chris Stoneman Senior Staff Writer

The women’s soccer team had a jam-packed schedule this past weekend with a home game against Bluffton University last Thursday followed by an away match against Wilmington College. With the hire of new Head Coach Taylor Houck, all eyes were on the team in their first two games of the season. The pressure was on to see if her offseason work with the team had successfully reinvigorated the team’s culture and breathed new life into the program.

The Yeowomen did not disappoint. In their season debut, the team dominated the Bluffton Beavers in a 5–0 blowout. The Yeowomen fired off 31 shots total and scored goals across the roster: third-year Maya Blevins, second-year Sam Gilfond, and first-year Elena Foley all found their way to the back of the net, with second-year Heather Benway scoring twice to finish the Beavers off. The defense was also stellar, with third-year goalkeeper Benji Maddox securing four pivotal saves in the victory.

On Saturday, the team traveled to take on Wilmington College and secured a second victory against the Quakers. Third-year midfielder Adrienne Sato capitalized on an early foul to score a penalty kick in the first half. Oberlin’s defense was then able to shut Wilmington out for the remainder of the game, securing a close victory for the Yeowomen.

“So far we are two games into the season, and I am already so impressed with this team,” Houck wrote in an email to the Review. “We are fortunate to have both excellent leadership from our returners and a large, impactful first year class who is helping push the team forward every day. The team’s overall commitment to each other is inspiring and I believe is what’s given us a competitive advantage in the previous games.”

In only two matches, almost every player who has seen the pitch has taken shots. Houck’s improvements and the Yeowomen’s renewed confidence in one another is clear when watching their new, fearless play style.

Fourth-year midfielder and captain Camille Franklin is already seeing progress in her teammates’ performances. In her last season with the team, she’s excited to see how the group will grow under Houck.

“The team this year has gained so much confidence through training and our new head coach,” Franklin said. “Having a tight-knit group of people [built around] a coach you can trust has allowed us to start our season with two wins.”

Although they lost in a game on Wednesday against Baldwin Wallace University, the Yeowomen still have a chance to continue the momentum from their weekend debut this Saturday against Chatham University at Fred Shults Field.

Volleyball Set for Historical Season, Strives for .500 Season Finish

Andrea Nguyen

Sports Editor

Kayla Kim

Contributing Sports Editor

Last weekend, the women’s volleyball team played at the Great Lakes Crossover with a pool of teams from other conferences around the Midwest region. Although the Yeowomen started with a loss to Thiel College, they won against both Eastern Mennonite University and Allegheny College in a two-game win streak.

Second-year Cami Sweet couldn’t believe the games’ statistics as Coaches Erica Rau and Katie Stansbury read them aloud to the team. According to the coaches, the Yeowomen have a solid chance of winning more than half their games this season — a first in program history. Sweet became the North Coast Atlantic Conference Player of the Week by scoring points for almost half the swings made over the net during the tournament. Additionally, she had a hitting percentage of 0.475 from 36 kills out of her 59 hits in the tournament.

“We’re all so dedicated and we all want to win,” Sweet said.

The team’s early success can be partially attributed to Stansbury, known to the team as “Stanny,” a new assistant coach for the Yeowomen and former Division I volleyball player for Colgate University.

“[Coach Stansbury’s] enthusiasm and volleyball knowledge make her an amazing coach. … I think our passers are already better after working with her,” second-year Natalie Dufour said. “She also just brings a lot of energy to the court.”

In addition to Stansbury’s leadership skills, it doesn’t hurt that the majority of the team is made up of returning players who were part of a historic win against DePauw University and the first victory against Kenyon College in six years. This team almost went .500 last season, and though they weren’t able to achieve their goal, third-years Taylor Gwynne and Andréa Jones earned All- NCAC Honorable Mentions in the end.

“We have worked hard to have a great relationship with volleyball in general, as well as our chemistry on the court, and it’s showing,” Jones said.

The coaches show just as much excitement as their players this season.

“We are so excited about this group of young athletes!” Stansbury and Rau wrote in an email to the Review. “Everyone has a lot of experience, and we have strong senior leaders that are ready to move the program forward. This is the most talented team I have coached at Oberlin, and there are big things ahead for us this season.”

Since then, the team added another win to its streak at a home game on Wednesday night against Waynesburg University. The team will play Olivet College tonight in the NCAC Challenge.

The volleyball team huddles before a game Courtesy of Oberlin Athletics