The Yeowomen could not find the net in a hard-fought battle against the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops Tuesday, losing the match 3–0. The field hockey team has been unable to get into rhythm recently, as they dropped four games over six days, three of which were against North Coast Athletic Conference opponents. With the losses, the team drops to 0–6 in the conference and 1–10 overall.

Despite the early season struggles, Head Coach Tiffany Saunders likes what she’s seen from her team’s communication and drive.

“We’ve capitalized a lot on on-field communication,” Saunders said. “The constant support of one another following a play, and the fight to dig deep and always go after it [has been huge].”

The Yeowomen fought off the Battling Bishops’ attack for most of the game, entering the half down just 1–0. Junior goalie Kennedy Kline was in command between the pipes, saving six shots against their conference rival. However, the Yeowomen mustered just four shots to the Battling Bishops’ 19, and in the second half, Oberlin let up another two goals without scoring one in the 3–0 defeat. Saunders said that the team needs to maintain focus and fight through both halves in tight games, as their record does not reflect the team’s on-field performance.

“I think it’s just finding that last push to seal the deal,” Saunders said. “It just comes down to pushing through one more time. Executing the basic skills. We get excited when we’re in those close games, and one small turnover [can dismantle] the whole fight to get the ball up. Then it’s right back down on [our] end.”

The Yeowomen were tested by the NCAC’s Earlham College Quakers’ offense Sunday, as Kline faced 21 shots, 13 of which were on goal. Unfortunately, Kline’s six saves were not enough, as the offense’s eight shots came up short against the Quakers, who won 7–0. Although the team kept the game close, maintaining a score of 3–0 going into the half, they could not generate the offense to compete. One close attempt came from junior attack Amelia Huang, who nearly scored in the 41st minute as one of her two shots careened off the post.

Kline, who has been dominant through her team’s scoring struggles, said that playing five games between Sept. 15 and 24 led to unavoidable exhaustion, but the team’s drive is evident of the good things to come.

“This weekend was a big one for us because not only was it a double-header, but it was a double-header at home, and on Saturday we proved how hard we can work,” Kline said.

The Yeowomen played their hardest-fought match of the season so far against the 2016 NCAC Tournament runner-up DePauw University Tigers Saturday in a heartbreaking 2–1 overtime loss. The Yeowomen struck first, as sophomore midfielder Libby Royer redirected a shot by Huang to the back of the net in the 21st minute. The team rode their 1–0 lead into the second half when the Tigers responded with an equalizer in the 36th minute. By the end of the second half, the score was tied 1–1, and it took a goal in the 72nd minute to break the tie and give the Tigers the victory.

While the Yeowomen were unable to walk away with the win, junior midfielder Meg Parker was proud of her team’s performance against the Tigers, who sit at second place in the NCAC.

“Playing against DePauw was so fun,” Parker said. “Everything on the field felt really great and how hockey should feel. I couldn’t be happier with how we played. The overtime was disappointing but I walked away so proud of our team.”

The Yeowomen look to break their two-game scoring drought against the Rhodes College Lynx in a non-conference matchup this Sunday in Granville, Ohio.