Oberlin men’s soccer secured a draw last Saturday night with a last-second goal against the visiting Defiance College Yellow Jackets. 

The Yeomen went into halftime down 1–0 after the Yellow Jackets scored at the 14th minute. However, they rebounded nicely, scoring just eight minutes into the second half. First-year John Wirtz scored his first career goal to even the score in the 53rd minute off an assist by third-year Augie Smith. 

The game was tied 1–1 from then on until the final minute, when the Yellow Jackets scored, leaving the Yeomen with little time to tie the game and earn a point. 

With just 54 seconds left in the game, second-year Louis Gandelheid swiftly scored his third goal of the season, redirecting the ball into the back of the net off a rebound from a shot on goal by third-year Toby Wells-Zimmerman. The Yeomen finished the game with a 2–2 draw. 

“I felt that we really improved in the second half of the match and created a lot more chances, scoring the tying goal midway through the period,” second-year Nate Thompson wrote in an email to the Review. “However, through a combination of misplaced shots, good saves from the opposition goalkeeper, and some unlucky ricochets, we were unable to take the lead. Then the last minute of play. That was crazy. Defiance had an amazing long range goal, but we ran straight back up from kickoff and tied the game again. I was proud of our response, as we could have easily become deflated and simply given up the game.”

Third-year goalie Colvin Iorio’s comments aligned similarly to Thompson’s. 

“The last couple minutes were crazy because we felt we were sure to get a goal with all the pressure we were putting on them before they managed to score,” Iorio said. “It was pretty deflating but luckily we kept pushing and managed to get one back to tie it.”

Iorio made three saves in the first half before second-year Louis Berger stepped up to the goalie position in the second half, making one more save for the Yeomen.

“We weren’t super happy with the draw because we felt we dominated the game and had a lot more shots, but they converted their chances more efficiently and sometimes that’s the way soccer goes,” Iorio said. “I didn’t have too much to do in the half I played because I think they only had two shots on me, but one of them was a goal.” 

Oberlin shined with 29 shots, 18 of them on goal, and 10 corner kicks. Star players included Gandelheid and Wirtz, who each had a goal, along with Wells-Zimmerman and Smith, who were both credited with an assist. Thompson kept the offensive pressure on the Yellow Jackets throughout the game with seven shots, five of which were on goal.

“While overall it was a very frustrating game for us, I was proud of the resilience of the group to fight back and get the equalizer so quickly after conceding the 2nd goal,” Head Coach Blake New wrote in an email to the Review. “If we take care of a couple of details in the game, we should win that game very easily. When you outshoot your opponent 29–10, you should win the game. We just didn’t finish well and we made a couple of mistakes defensively.”

Thompson echoed similar remarks to Coach New. 

“Such a comeback showed a resistance to adversity that the team has often missed in the past,” Thompson wrote. “Last year, we were quite a young team, with a majority of the squad composed of [first-years] and [second-years]. However, we have been able to progress together, and I am very excited to see how the greater amount of experience within the team can hopefully translate into an improved season. We also have been supplemented by a talented incoming class who have added in quality and been able to compete for positions right away.”

Coach New remained optimistic for the rest of the season despite this uncertain start. 

“The guys have worked hard in training, and I think we will bounce back quickly,” Coach New wrote. 

Thompson expressed gratitude for the students and community members who showed up to the game. 

“I would also love to give a shout out to the fans, as the support at the game was amazing,” Thompson wrote. “Hopefully we can get some more packed crowds out at Schultz throughout the year.”

The team currently stands at 1–2–3, and has not yet had a conference game. Following the draw against Defiance, the team lost 2–0 against Capital University at Schultz Field on Wednesday night. The Yeomen will next play Heidelberg University in Tiffin, OH at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.