Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College women's lacrosse team outlasted the Wittenberg University Tigers, 19-14, on Saturday afternoon at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics complex.
The senior duo of
Natalie Rauchle (8) and
Sydney Garvis (5) combined for 13 of Oberlin's 19 goals, while junior goalie
Siena Marcelle turned away nine shots.
It was nip and tuck throughout the opening half as no more than three goals separated the two teams in the opening 30 minutes of action. A free-position goal from Garvis at the 9:27 mark made it an 8-5 Yeowomen advantage. The two foes would alternate goals the rest of the stanza as Oberlin led 9-7 at the intermission. First-years
Tess Siciliano and
Leah Crowther each got into the scoring mix in the first period as well.
Oberlin would score the first four goals of the half to create some separation before the Tigers came storming back. A quick steal by Siciliano left her in a one-on-one against the Tigers' goalie that she promptly finished into the back of the net to increase the advantage back out to three. Garvis would then deposit a feed from Rauchle before
Hayley Drapkin spun through the Tigers' defense for the first of her two second-half goals. A slashing finish from Rauchle would cap the run to make it 13-7.
However, Oberlin couldn't breathe easily as the Tigers responded with a 5-0 scoring burst with four of the scores coming from Emily Wadds, who led Wittenberg with six goals.
Following a free-position goal from Wadds with 7:12 left to play, the Yeowomen were clinging to a 14-13 lead, but they would go on to score five straight goals to leave no doubt in the outcome. Garvis scored twice, while
Kyra Aviles, Rauchle, and Drapkin also got into the mix.
The Yeowomen finished with a 41-26 margin in shots and had a 21-18 edge in ground balls. Marcelle and Crowther led Oberlin with four ground balls each, while
Eliza Amber secured a team-high seven draw controls.
The win lifted Oberlin to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the NCAC. The Tigers dropped back to 2-6 and 0-1 in league play.
The Yeowomen are back in action on Wednesday night when they step back out of conference to host the University of Mount Union at 6:00 p.m.
