Field hockey has opened their 2025 season with a promising 3–2 record as they begin conference play, signaling a competitive edge and a squad with potential. After a five-match test, the Yeowomen are on pace for a season that has already surpassed their performances from the past two years.
Third-year Bella Tilford reflected on the team’s progress, particularly in light of a narrow loss to Kenyon College on Wednesday.
“I think we’ve definitely had a really strong start to the season — even with the Kenyon game,” Tilford said. “It was a tough one, but I can clearly see how much we’ve grown from the last two years. We haven’t played them nearly as well in the past, and even though it wasn’t the result we wanted, it shows how far we’ve come as a program.”
Heading into the season, both players and coaches anticipated challenges — from tough road games to balancing a new emphasis on offensive creativity with continued defensive discipline. The team’s three wins so far have showcased that balance, while the two losses have offered reminders of the work still ahead.
“Our early success comes from the intentionality we bring to everything we do,” Head Coach Jess West wrote in an email to the Review. “Practices are purposeful, and the team has fully embraced a ‘one team’ mentality. Over the last few years, we’ve built a strong defensive foundation, and now we’ve been able to elevate our offensive play — scoring nine goals in our first five games. This group shows up hungry and motivated every day, and that drive has been the key to our momentum.”
In many ways, this strong start hasn’t come as a surprise. During preseason scrimmages and practices, the team showed strong chemistry and set high expectations.
“Our first day, we had a scrimmage — we were just playing each other — and I could tell right away,” Tilford said. “It was like, ‘Wow, this is a level of play I haven’t seen in the past two years.’ It was really exciting.”
Coach West echoed this sentiment.
“We absolutely saw this coming before preseason even began,” she wrote. “The tone was really set during our spring season, where we emphasized possession, 1v1s, and 2v1 skills under pressure. That work not only elevated our play, but helped the group build a tight bond. They carried that connection and competitiveness into preseason, and it’s been the foundation for our strong start.”
As the Yeowomen begin North Coast Athletics Conference matchups, their 3–2 record is more than just a stat — it builds confidence and may shift how the team approaches upcoming games. Rather than simply aiming to stay competitive, they can now push the pace and explore more strategic variation, especially under the offensive guidance of Assistant Coach Emily Harris, and take calculated risks in tight moments.
But for Coach West, consistency remains key.
“Our approach doesn’t change,” she wrote. “Each day we come in with a clear focus, hit our key points in practice, and build on them. The success comes from that consistency. We don’t look past the next game on our schedule — all of our energy goes into the one that’s right in front of us.”
Tilford added that the team has already learned from its early-season setbacks.
“Nazareth was our first game, and we lost, but I think that really propelled us,” she said. “In that game, we saw some defensive gapping that we worked on fixing right away. Once we closed down the space between our lines, we could turn our focus toward offensive movement. I think those Virginia games after that were huge confidence boosters — they showed us we could control the game and create chances.”
More importantly, she noted, this year’s squad has a mental toughness that past teams lacked.
“In the past, a 1–0 deficit would’ve taken us out of the game mentally,” Tilford said. “But now, we see 1–0 and know we have the ability to come back. In that game, we turned it around and won 3–1. I think those out-of-conference wins gave us the proof we needed that we can be an offensively-minded team and stay in games, especially when it matters most.”
Looking ahead, both players and coaches know that continued growth will be critical.
“We’re continuing to emphasize our ‘one team’ mindset — everything we do, we do together,” West wrote. “On the field, we’re focused on maintaining strong defensive positioning while building more offensive pressure. The more we stay solid in the back and sustain our attack, the more dangerous we’ll be.”
Tilford noted one key area the team is actively working on is in the circle:
“We’re still working on circle presence,” she said. “We’re doing well getting shots off, but we need to be better about being on the posts and ready for rebounds — making sure that when a shot goes off, someone’s always in the circle to tap it in.”
Despite the early wins, the team remains focused on areas for improvement. Turning strong first halves into full-game performances, limiting turnovers in transition, and tightening up penalty corners — both offensively and defensively — will be crucial. Just as important will be maintaining composure in close games and high-pressure moments.
If the early part of the season is any indication, this Oberlin team isn’t just aiming to compete — it’s evolving. With confidence rising, the Yeowomen are entering conference play not just with a winning mindset, but with new skills and leadership to match their ambition.
