Oberlin, Ohio – A five-round stroke-off is what it took to determine a winner between the Oberlin College field hockey team and the visiting Earlham College Quakers. Unfortunately, the result did not end in the Yeowomen's favor as Earlham escaped town with a 4-3 win.
After 100 minutes of hockey the Yeowomen and Quakers were tied 3-3 to force the stroke-off. Both sides failed to convert their first three attempts, but on the fourth try Oberlin's
Maureen Coffey rifled one in past the out-stretched arms of Earlham goalie Camille van der Vaart.
Needing to score to keep the shootout alive, the Quakers' Kaitlyn Brunner snuck one past Oberlin's
Maggie Gossiaux just before the horn to extend the battle. After the Yeowomen's fifth attempt was denied, Sydney Barnes stepped to the line and took on Gossiaux in the one-on-one clash and got her attempt by the Oberlin senior to give Earlham the win.
After a scoreless first half that featured stingy defense and stout goal keeping by both teams, the pace would pick up in the second half.
The Yeowomen struck first in the 39
th minute as first-year
Libby Royer netted her first collegiate goal, redirecting a pass from the top of the arch by Coffey. Just minutes later it was déjà vu as the combo struck again off a corner. The goals were nearly identical as the Columbus, Ohio, native worked along the right post and flicked it into the cage to make it a 2-0 Oberlin lead.
Earlham would get on the board in the 59
th minute as Megan Hut scored her fifth goal of the season, but less than a minute later Oberlin had its response. A long lead pass from
Ariana Enzerink put Coffey in prime scoring position and the senior from Manassas, Virginia, did the rest sending in her first goal of the season and 13
th of her career to quickly reset the Oberlin lead to two.
However, the Quakers wouldn't go away quietly, netting two goals within five minutes to even the score with 10 minutes left in regulation. Earlham would also earn a corner in the closing minutes but Gossiaux turned away Maite Turlings' shot attempt.
In the first seven-on-seven overtime period, both teams had corner opportunities go by the wayside. In the second overtime, Oberlin was the more aggressive side with five shots compared the Quakers' one, but van der Vaart came up big with three saves. In both sessions, the defensive play of
Jennifer Krakower resulted in Earlham's chances getting short-circuited.
As the clocked reached the 100-minute mark Oberlin earned an untimed corner with a chance to win it, but Krakower's shot was saved to setup the shootout.
Earlham finished with a slight 23-22 edge in shots, which included a 17-14 margin in shots on goal. The Quakers also earned 13 corners, while Oberlin triggered 11.
Gossiaux recorded 14 saves for the Yeowomen to run her season total 38 and career mark to 546.
Oberlin has a short turnaround as it returns to action tomorrow at noon when it plays host to the Tigers of DePauw.
