The Yeowomen had a dominant showing in their double-header home opener this past weekend. After beginning their season with five tough games on the road, playing at home provided a much needed a change of pace. Despite a narrow loss against the nationally ranked DePauw University Tigers on Saturday, the Yeowomen handily outdid the Earlham College Quakers 3–0 the following day.

On Saturday, the Yeowomen’s defensive unit held the Tigers to an impressive final score of 2–1, even though the Tigers’ offense averaged 3.61 goals per game last season. In her season debut, junior Claire Yeske returned to the field with force, scoring the lone goal for the Yeowomen.

“We knew this was a must-win game for us,” said junior forward Jodi Helsel on the game against the Quakers. “We played really well on Saturday which motivated us to work harder and get the desired result on Sunday.”

The Quakers were unable to penetrate Oberlin’s defense, making the Yeowomen’s first Conference victory a 3–0 shutout. Oberlin dominated offensively as well, racking up 12 shots on goal.

The first half remained 0–0 until first-year Maureen Coffey found junior Elizabeth Raskin in front of the net with two minutes left to play. One point ahead of the Quakers, the Yeowomen were able to continue their strong play in the second half.

In the first 10 minutes of play in the second half, first-year Jennifer Krakower scored her first collegiate goal. With less than a minute left on the clock, Helsel passed the ball to first-year Claire Miller, who managed to put the ball in the net just moments before the buzzer sounded.

Junior goalkeeper Carmen Azevedo had a fantastic weekend as well. Against the Tigers, she finished with an impressive 13 saves. Her dominance continued into Sunday, when she only had to make one save against the Quakers and earned her second shutout of the season.

“I think this weekend showed huge improvement from last weekend,” said sophomore midfielder Taylor Swift. “We are all finally working together as a team. Our passes came together, and we finished all of our shots in the shooting circle.”

Athletic Director Natalie Winklefoos was excited about the Yeowomen’s performance this past weekend. “I am very pleased with the win and the effort against DePauw. I am even more excited about the overall progress with the program. This is the first of many wins for the field hockey team.”

The Yeowomen look to continue their winning streak this weekend when they travel to The College of Wooster on Saturday and Kenyon College on Sunday. “These teams are definitely going to be tough,” said Swift, “but I think our performances this past weekend made statements to the rest of the conference. We will definitely have to play hard, but I think we can finish those games strong.”

Helsel agreed. “I think we are going to play well these next two weekends and continue to show the conference that Oberlin field hockey is a force to be reckoned with.”

The Yeowomen currently sit at 2–5 overall and 1–3 in conference. They return home for Homecoming Weekend on Friday, Oct. 4. The opening touch is set for 4 p.m. against Denison University.