Box Score
Sept. 13 - Under the lights and in front of a packed house at Fred Shults Field the Oberlin Men's Soccer team cruised to a 4-1 victory over Northeast Ohio rival Case Western. The night game allowed both teams to avoid playing in the rain, but a soggy field and slippery ball forced players on both teams to make adjustments. Early on the action went back and forth highlighted by two Oberlin headers that just missed finding the Spartan goal.
Oberlin kept up its early pressure and drew first blood on a cross by Oliver Miller-Farrell that was knocked into the center by the Case goalie. Oberlin sophomore Pete Sabo received the fortuitous rebound and one-timed a laser into the back of the net from outside the box for his first goal of the season. Despite controlling the action for much of the rest of the half, Oberlin led at the break 1-0.
The second half proved to be even more exciting as the Yeomen were just getting started. Less than four minutes into the second session Farrell again set up a teammate for a goal. This time it was a beautifully placed long ball that skipped behind the Case defensemen and was won by junior forward Skyler Dum. After gaining control of the ball, Dum capitalized on the error by immediately drilling the ball into the goal.
Less than a minute later the Yeomen struck again. This time on a free kick from 35 yards left of the goal by senior Mike Mullaley. Mullaley put the ball in front of the net where the ball appeared to ricochet off several Case defenders and across the goal line. The goal gave the Yeomen a commanding 3-0 lead in the 50th minute.
Even with a 3-0 lead the Yeomen kept on working hard and pressuring the flustered Spartan defense. The Yeomen struck one final time and may have saved the best goal for last. Farrell who had assisted on two previous goals found Dum at the top of the circle just outside the box. Dum dropped the ball behind his body to the streaking Farrell who beat the goalkeeper with a left-footed strike. The pretty give-and-go play was in essence a returned favor for the assist that Farrell had provided on Dum's goal to start the half.
Case would finish with a flurry of corner kicks, and they did manage to get on the board with a nice play of their own in the 62nd minute. However Oberlin held firm and when the clock read zeroes, the score showed Oberlin 4, Case 1. With four goals the Yeomen set a season high and the win propelled them to 5-2 on the year. They will look to use the momentum from tonight's win on Tuesday, September 16 as they play host to Kalamazoo at 5 pm.
