Oberlin College Athletics

DELAWARE, Ohio - Senior attacker Maureen Coffey tallied two goals and combined with first-year Libby Royer to carry Oberlin College field hockey to their first triumph of the year, 3-1, over Ohio Wesleyan University.

Although Coffey and Royer registered the Oberlin goals, the Yeowomen offensively dominated the Battling Bishops from the start. The Crimson and Gold outshot their Central Ohio foes 16-to-4, and landed six attempts on frame to the Bishops' one.

The Yeowomen came out firing with four attempts in the opening 15 minutes, culminating with Coffey firing the first shot on goal. In the 19th minute, the Crimson and Gold nearly earned the go-ahead goal when Ariana Enzerink slapped her first shot of the day at the Bishop's net, but a defensive save from Ohio Wesleyan's Paige Haenig kept the matchup scoreless.

The Yeowomen convincingly held possession in the offensive third throughout the first half, earning seven penalty corners and tallying ten shots to OWU's two.

After 27 minutes, the Yeowomen's offensive persistence paid off. Oberlin pushed into the final third and earned another penalty corner. Senior Aditi Banerjee snapped the corner back into play and Coffey flung home her eighth score of the year to earn the Yeowomen the lead.

Royer doubled up the Yeowomen's advantage less than five minutes later, nabbing an insurance goal before the first half came to a close. It was yet another corner from Banerjee that created the scoring opportunity. Coffey fired an initial attempt, which the Bishop's netminder, Jackie Feliciano, turned away but only as far as Royer's stick. The Columbus, Ohio native bested the skill of Feliciano to put Oberlin ahead 2-0 at the intermission.

Out of the break, Coffey collected her second of the day by beating Feliciano once more in the 41st. 

The Oberlin's effort defensively and in the midfield kept the Bishops offense at bat most of the contest and helped goalie Maggie Gossiaux secure a shutout for over 50 minutes.

When the Battling Bishops drove into the Oberlin end in the 52nd and earned a penalty corner  it led to Haenig sneaking an attempt past Gossiaux to bust up the clean sheet.

Coffey led the offensive movement with her two goals on eight shots, four on target. Second-year Amelia Huang got involved with four shots followed by Enzerink and Royer with two and first-year Luisa McGarvey with one.

With her corner attempt that led to Coffey's first score of the game, Banerjee received credit for the assist, marking her first of the campaign.

The victory over the Battling Bishops marks the first North Coast Athletic Conference victory of the year and the inaugural conference win of head coach Tiffany Saunder's tenure. The triumph in Delaware on Saturday morning snaps a five-match losing streak to the Bishops dating back to October of 2013.

Oberlin College field hockey will return home and quickly turn around to host the Wittenberg University Tigers tomorrow afternoon on the turf of Bailey Field.

Action from inside the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex is slated for 1 p.m.