This Wednesday, women’s lacrosse played against Baldwin Wallace University in its last game before conference play, battling through inclement weather to secure a 15–5 victory.

Oberlin shined on offense and defense, forcing 11 turnovers in addition to goals. First-year Megan Hiller set the pace early in both halves, scoring the first goal within the first five minutes and winning the stick-off in the second half. Third-years Audrey Koren, Emily Shimabukuro, and Abbie Patchen, as well as second-years Katie McMorris and Lauren Mills, also scored. Patchen earned a career high of six points and scored in her seventh consecutive game.

The Yeowomen held Baldwin Wallace to no goals in the first quarter, and while they gained an early lead, both teams went on a scoring drought in the second quarter. Oberlin didn’t find the net, and Baldwin Wallace scored its first goal. Hiller explained that this setback only further motivated the team to win.

“Not having scored any goals in the second quarter made us even more hungry to score in the third quarter,” Hiller wrote in an email to the Review. “We figured out what was and wasn’t working and used what we learned to capitalize in the second half. After talking and planning during our halftime break, we went into the second half of the game ready to execute our plays and strategically place our shots.”

Although women’s lacrosse did not play a game for 12 days after its spring break, during which it traveled to Florida to play against other teams, Koren said that the team used that break to its advantage and created a competition week.

“We were broken up into two teams, and everything during the week was a competition,” Koren wrote in an email to the Review. “It really fostered a competitive and fun environment. Competition week gave us time to reset and prepare for the second half of the season, while maintaining an intense environment. Everyone was excited to have a game again and I could really feel that energy on the field.”

Another challenge was the threat of severe weather that had been creeping through the Midwest — the game was moved up two hours to avoid potential storms, and even then, there was light rain during the game.

“It was very sporadic, and in the moments of torrential rain, the game became very back and forth,” Koren said. “Both teams had difficulty holding onto the ball because it was hard to see and everything was slippery. Once the rain would stop for a while, we did a good job regaining control and maintaining possession.”

Lacrosse is now looking to face DePauw University in a home game tomorrow.