Last Saturday, the Yeowomen faced the Centre College Colonels in Danville, KY, delivering an impressive performance in a 20–6 win. This is their second consecutive win after their home opener, which was the Morgan’s Message Dedication Game against John Carroll University.
Against Centre, three players — first-year Phoebe Dolan, third-year Lauren Mills, and fourth-year Audrey Koren — scored a hat trick, which is when a player scores three times in one game.
For Koren, this win was a comeback for the team. At the Yeowomen’s last away game against the Colonels in 2022, the team lost by one point, 18–17. Both teams made within-the-minute goals, one at 15 seconds by Ellie Jensen, OC ’23, that leveled the score to 17–17 before going into overtime. However, Oberlin ultimately lost.
“Last time that we were at Centre, we had a very different game than we had this time,” Koren said. “So it felt really rewarding to score those goals and to play as a team, and come away with a big win, particularly after driving all that way. I think winning by that margin really just showed how we’re a new team with a new culture and starting a new legacy of what Oberlin lacrosse is.”
Contributing to Oberlin’s offensive dominance were second-year Megan Hiller, third-year Lex Escobedo, and fourth-years Abbie Patchen and Caroline Lee, each scoring two goals. Additionally, second-year Olivia Corradi and fourth-years Maya Blevins and Kaela Wilson raked in one goal each to add to the team’s tally. Assists were made by Hiller, Patchen, Blevins, second-year Ale Bernal, and fourth-year Emily Shimabukuro. In the goal post, second-year Janny McCormick made ten saves throughout the game to secure Oberlin’s victory. All players on the team got playing time in the game.
“We had 12 different players contribute to goals or assists in Saturday’s game!” Interim Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Erin Mitchell wrote in an email to the Review. “This is amazing! Typically there are only four to five scorers in a game.”
The game was punctuated by several noteworthy goals. In the first quarter, Patchen hit a buzzer beater, assisted by Hiller, which extended Oberlin’s lead to 7–2. Hiller then scored another goal in the second quarter at 00:52 before halftime, bringing the score up to 13–2.
“The buzzer beater was very exciting,” Patchen said. “We practice draw-to-goal nearly every day, so it was great to see our hard work appear in the game. It was also so much fun to celebrate with everyone after. Overall, the game was a great team win that I am very proud of. We had 10 different goal scorers, which just goes to show how much talent we have. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do [for] the rest of the year.”
In the fourth quarter, Lee, who usually plays defense, shot two back-to-back goals at 3:44 and at 01:58, bringing the team to their overwhelming victory. For a defender in lacrosse, it is rare to score any goals during their career.
“It was really exciting,” Lee said. “I’m a defender, so those were my first collegiate goals ever, actually, so it was really fun. It was just really a great feeling to have my teammates hug me, and one of them was an assist from Emily Shimabukuro. I could feel the love from the team.”
Coach Mitchell also expressed her faith toward the players.
“One thing that has really helped us in our games is the depth that we have,” Mitchell wrote. “I am confident in every player I put on the field. Our team, especially our midfield, has so many skills and talents, and as a coach it is my job to put them in positions and situations to highlight their strengths. We are lucky enough to have eight middies this year who all contribute to the team!”
The team’s win can be attributed to their preparation during the off season. This year’s captains and leadership committee members are Koren, Lee, Mills, Patchen, and Wilson, who have been meeting since the beginning of the school year.
“We have prepared in the off season by building chemistry with the team on and off the field with team bonding,” Mitchell wrote. “As a coach, I try to build confidence in my players through reps, so we will do a lot of individual reps to master a move or skill. As the interim head coach, it’s a super refreshing start to our season being 2–1 and playing a game where all of our players have gotten game experience this early in the season. This will help us grow and continue to learn together as a team!”
The team currently holds a 2–2 record for this season after a 13–11 loss to the Otterbein Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. The Yeowomen continue their season by playing the Allegheny College Alligators on Saturday, March 2 in Meadville, PA.
