Last weekend, the women’s field hockey team became the first Oberlin team to play at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex. The Yeowomen took on the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops on Saturday and the Wittenberg Tigers on Sunday, falling in each game.

With already short numbers and several injuries to key players, the Yeowomen played the games two players down, giving their tough conference foes a sizeable advantage.

In spite of their low numbers and the fact that they lost the two games by a combined score of 9–0, team players were still happy with aspects of the team’s performance.

“I am beyond proud of this team,” said fifth-year co-captain Hannah Christiansen. “We played two people down for two full games back to back. The other teams could have subbed their whole team if they wanted, and we ran them to the ground. They were exhausted after the game, and that was such a good feeling.”

Junior co-captain Taylor Swift, one of the Yeowomen resting with an injury, shared Christiansen’s excitement with the team’s effort.

“You couldn’t even tell we were playing down,” she said. “I thought our best half was actually our second half of our second game, which is crazy. We held Wittenberg scoreless, and people just kept playing hard the entire game — it was awesome.”

With only 13 players on their active roster, the Yeowomen will have the odds stacked against them this season, but Head Coach Anna Baeth is more than pleased with the way the team has responded to the challenges thus far.

“It is never fun to be in the situation we were handed this weekend, and the team took it all in stride,” she said. “We played with more heart than I have ever seen and every person played to their full potential. It was fun, exciting and inspiring all at once.”

Before the opening of the new athletics complex, the Yeowomen were playing on a grass field, putting them at a major disadvantage to other teams. Now, Baeth is certain playing on the new surface will improve the team’s play.

“Field hockey is a game meant to be played on the fastest surface possible, so having a new turf allows us to capitalize on certain tactics and techniques we have not been able to use before,” Baeth said. “Playing on the new game field was also downright fun.”

In two games where every player on the roster was forced to put in overtime, one player that stood out to Baeth was sophomore goalie Maggie Gossiaux, who played all 140 minutes and tallied 40 saves.

“Maggie Gossiaux had a superb weekend. Ultimately, though, this weekend was a team effort and I am proud of every single one of our athletes’ performances,” said Baeth.

This weekend the team heads to Indiana to take on nationally ranked NCAC rival DePauw University on Saturday and Earlham College on Sunday.

“This coming weekend is a tough weekend, but I think we have a lot of momentum to build on right now,” said Christiansen.

Baeth, too, is excited for the games this weekend after the team’s last showings.

“This past weekend, our team showed me and the NCAC just how much heart and grit Oberlin has,” she said. “I firmly believe that team chemistry and fitness win games. Luckily, we have both.”