On Saturday, Sept. 7, Oberlin’s men’s and women’s soccer teams defended their home pitch, with both teams winning their home openers and consequently their first wins of what are sure to be fruitful seasons.
The men’s team faced off against Chatham University. In a hard fought defensive first half, highlighted by first-year goalkeeper Grayson Benson’s save in the 37th minute, both teams headed to the locker room with the score knotted up 0–0.
The Cougars came out of halftime firing. Chatham’s Luke Matzelle snuck his way past the Yeomen backline, firing the ball into the net and putting the visitors ahead 1–0 just three minutes into the second half. However, the goal wouldn’t stand unopposed for long. In the 55th minute, fourth-year forward/midfielder Toby Wells-Zimmerman was assisted by fourth-year midfielder Auggie Smith to tie the score. This sparked the beginning of an offensive half for the Yeomen.
In the 64th minute, the Yeomen brought in first-year midfielder Walter Gomez-Torres to make an immediate impact. A minute later, senior midfielder Anthony Pacewicz fired a cross into the box that was blocked by a Chatham defender. Gomez-Torres sniped the ball straight out of the air and knocked it in the back of the net, giving Oberlin a 2–1 lead and tallying the first goal of his career.
In the 81st minute, the Yeomen were back on the offensive. Pacewicz perfectly placed a pass across the box, and all fourth-year Xander Francoeur had to do was tap it past the keeper, to give the Yeomen a 3–1 lead that would hold until the final whistle.
“It was definitely tough to go down early in the second half against Chatham, but I thought we leaned really well on each other to dig deep when it mattered most,” Francoeur said about the team’s performance. “One person’s energy inspired one another and I [along with] everyone else [am] very proud of the shift we put in to bring it back for a 3–1 win. We’re looking to carry the momentum of that game into the rest of the season so hopefully there’s more of that success to come.”
Not to be outdone, the Yeowomen also took the pitch Saturday, dominating Geneva College in a 3–1 win.
Geneva’s Noelle Beare scored a goal in the opening minutes of the game, getting the Golden Tornados off to an early lead. However, Geneva’s advantage was short-lived. In the 15th minute, fourth-year forward Heather Benway soared past defenders and evened the score with an incredible shot in the back of the net. Third-year goalkeeper Ali Grant was strong at goal for the Yeomen. With her incredible five saves, the two teams were locked in a stalemate as they entered the half.
Following the intermission, the Yeowomen broke through the Tornados’ defense in the 54th minute. Fourth-year forward Sophia Timm-Blow ignited the crimson and gold with a goal from nearly 30 yards out to give Oberlin a 2–1 lead. Tacha Lee put the final nail in the coffin, striking in a pass from Timm-Blow to secure a 3–1 victory.
“It was a great game on our home field which really set the tone for the rest of the season,” said Lee in an interview with the Review. “Two outside backs scoring in one game shows how everyone was involved and working together in the attack.”
Head Coach Taylor Houck was extremely proud of her team following their impressive win and spoke highly of her players in an email to the Review.
“[Timm-Blow] is one of the most relentless players I’ve ever coached. With her playing the outside back position, she’s able to help us on both sides of the ball — defensively and offensively,” Houck wrote. “Her work rate, drive and competitiveness is unmatched and I believe that’s what makes her such a special player.”
Houck also spoke highly of the team’s keepers.
“We are so lucky to have such a great goalkeeping unit in Roam and Ali Grant,” she wrote. “They are both technically gifted with the ball at their feet which helps us relieve pressure from the opponents and keep possession.The ability to be able to rotate them to increase their experience each game is also a luxury for us. We know that no matter who’s in the goal, we’ll have a terrific goalkeeper that’ll help us keep possession while also coming up with game changing saves in moments we need it most.”
Both teams have played since last Saturday, with the Yeowomen continuing their dominance by besting Muskingum University 3–1 and the Yeomen faltering against Allegheny College in a 1–0 loss. Women’s soccer now has a winning record of 2–1–1 on the year, and men’s soccer now sits at 1–4. Both teams take the pitch again Saturday. Men’s soccer will play at Muskingum University at 3 p.m. while women’s soccer will look to continue their winning ways at home against Wilmington College at 4 p.m.
