Both Oberlin’s men’s and women’s teams celebrated wins among the Homecoming festivities this past weekend. The women’s soccer team reveled in the air of excitement and nostalgia as they bid farewell to their seniors who have demonstrated the true essence of Oberlin athletics. The men’s soccer team also found victory on the road as they gear up for conference play to begin.
The women’s soccer team marked Senior Day with a resounding 3–0 victory over Marietta College, bringing their record to 4–4–1 for the season thus far. The Yeowomen honored their seven seniors — Heather Benway, Morgan Cianfichi, Zoe Garver, Samantha Gilfond, Tacha Lee, Sofia Mitchell, and Sophia Timm-Blow — before the match, setting the stage for an exciting game and thrilling the Homecoming crowd.
From the outset, the Yeowomen took control, dominating possession and creating a flurry of scoring chances. Benway took two shots on goal in the first eight minutes of play, spearheading the attack and showcasing her skills. The first goal came in the 35th minute when Benway found the back of the net, capitalizing on a long through-ball assist from Timm-Blow. Benway deftly maneuvered around Marietta goalkeeper Sarah Legg and tallied her fifth goal of the season and the 28th of her career. This score brought her career points total to 73, tying her for third place in the program’s history alongside Sam Schongalla.
Despite holding a narrow 1–0 lead at halftime, the Yeowomen continued their drive after the break. An exciting header shot by first-year Lauren Roche in the 52nd minute set the tone for a strong offensive push. Timm-Blow got into the scoring action in the 53rd minute, a mere five seconds after her initial shot was deflected out of goal, marking her fourth goal of the year and extending Oberlin’s advantage. After some substitutions brought fresh legs into the game, second-year Norah Mosley added an insurance goal in the 70th minute, converting a corner kick. Mosley’s left-footed shot deflected off a Marietta defender and into the net, marking her second goal of the season and solidifying the Yeowomen’s commanding lead.
This marked the fourth time this season that Oberlin scored multiple goals in a match, with all instances resulting in victories. Both second-half scorers — Timm-Blow and Mosley — have already surpassed their goal totals from previous seasons and are eager to build on this momentum as the season continues. Additionally, first-year Skylar Leung notched her second career shot on goal in two games, hinting at promising performances in the future.
Third-year goalkeeper Ali Grant also had a strong showing, making five saves, including two crucial diving stops late in the match to preserve the shutout. Oberlin outshot Marietta 15–8, showcasing their offensive dominance throughout the match. Of those attempts, Oberlin managed six shots on target, while Marietta recorded five.
As the team celebrated its seniors and looked ahead to the remainder of the season, the future remains bright for Oberlin women’s soccer. With this victory, the Yeowomen gear up for their conference schedule. They seek to start their NCAC play strong next weekend at Hiram College on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.
In their final match-up before diving into NCAC action, the Oberlin men’s soccer team secured a solid 3–1 victory against the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents on Saturday afternoon to improve their overall record to 4–5–1.
Fourth-year midfielder Xander Francoeur anchored the attack, moving quickly to take two shots in the first three minutes of play. While the Yeomen outshot the Presidents 8–4 in the first half, they were not able to find the back of the net, and the first half ended in a 0–0 draw.
Oberlin quickly changed the narrative after the break, capitalizing on a set-piece opportunity in the 52nd minute that saw a well-placed corner from fourth-year Anthony Pacewicz connect with the head of Francoeur to score a momentous goal. The Yeomen protected their lead as Oberlin was awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box by the Presidents. Pacewicz stepped up to take the penalty, placing his initial shot to the right. Although the Presidents’ goalkeeper managed to deflect it, Pacewicz was quick to react, seizing the rebound and slotting it into the left side of the net, extending the lead to 2–0.
Less than a minute later, the Presidents responded with a penalty kick of their own after Oberlin committed a foul in the defensive zone. First-year goalkeeper Grayson Benson dove in the right direction for the save, but the shot sailed into the upper corner, putting the Presidents on the board and narrowing Oberlin’s lead to 2–1.
In the dying moments of the match, Francoeur struck again, sealing the victory in the 89th minute. Sprinting past his defenders in midfield, he made a decisive run, crossed the ball in front of the goal, and expertly finished to secure the 3–1 win. This brings his goal total to 10 for the season thus far, besting the nine he scored last fall.
“It was a phenomenal win for us to get under our belts before conference [play] starts up next weekend,” fourth-year Toby Wells-Zimmerman said, reflecting on the victory. “I’m super happy for all of the guys and proud of how well we competed from start to finish. We plan on using the momentum we’ve built when we face Wooster on Saturday. The team is in high spirits and ready to put out another great performance.”
Even after the decisive win, the Yeomen know they are capable of even more.
“Team performance was solid, but we still expect more from ourselves,” second-year Vince Fortuna said in a message to the Review. “We have a great group of committed guys who believe that we are capable of having a great season.”
With this important victory, the Yeomen open NCAC conference play against The College of Wooster in Wooster, OH on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m.
