PITTSBURGH, PA- After blanking the Chatham in the final quarter of action, the Oberlin College men's lacrosse team came out on top in their season opener on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Blasberg led the Crimson and Gold with four goals, while Joe Barocas made 12 saves to give the Yeomen a 1-0 start to the season.
 
Solomon Brennan also earned a hat trick in the game, with three goals and one assist. Jacob Starcke and rookie Christian Tacogue also finished with multiple goals, while Starcke chimed in with a team-high three assists. Trevor Flynn looked stellar in his collegiate debut, winning 11-19 on the faceoff and gathering ten ground balls. Fellow first-years Colin Taylor and Alexander L'Hommedieu carried the defense with four and two caused turnovers, respectively.
 
Gritty defense and early saves by Barocas and the Oberlin long poles kept the Cougars off the board to start the game, while the Yeomen attack struggled to convert their early shots. At the 2:04 mark, Starcke found Blasberg for the team's first goal of the season, but Chatham responded almost immediately to tie the game at 1-1 ahead of the quarter break.
 
Settling into their 2024 campaign, Christian Pfennig forced a Cougar turnover that led to another Blasberg goal, assisted by Jack Duffy. The Crimson and Gold scored off the ensuing faceoff when Duffy found Tacogue for the newcomer's first career goal. In the final minute of the half, Starcke passed to Brennan for a man-down goal. Chatham added one more to bring the halftime score to 4-3, advantage Oberlin.
 
The Yeomen's only goals in the third quarter came within the 12-minute mark, first by Tacogue and second by Starcke off the assist of Brennan. With only a one-goal advantage heading into the final period, Oberlin's offense came alive, beginning with a man-up goal from Brennan. Flynn won the ensuing faceoff, allowing Blasberg to notch his third goal of the game. After consecutive penalties on the Crimson and Gold, Barocas and Co. stood tall against the Cougars, fending off a shot from Brady Rigdon. The clear downfield resulted in a one-on-one goal from Brennan.
 
First-year Taylor continued the momentum for Oberlin, finding Blasberg around the crease to extend the lead to 10-5. Just three seconds later, Flynn won the faceoff and scored on a sprint straight from midfield. The Yeomen added one more goal for good measure before completing the fourth-quarter shutout to win the game 12-5.
 
Oberlin comes home for their next matchup against Trine on Saturday, February 24. The Crimson and Gold's home opener is set to begin at 1 p.m.
 
Fans can watch all the home matches live online. Home contests can be accessed on a TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.