SEWANEE, TN- In their first of two road tests during spring break, the Oberlin College men's lacrosse team took on the Sewanee Tigers, who are ranked fourth in Region V. The low-scoring affair saw the Crimson and Gold come out on top of the 8-7 overtime thriller. With the win, Oberlin improves to 7-2 on the year.
Leading the offense, Ryan Blasberg tallied a pair of goals and an assist for the Crimson and Gold. Six other Yeomen scored one goal each, while Solomon Brennan and Jacob Starcke added an assist each.
Jake Pillsbury earned the start in cage, making a season-high 16 saves. Colin Taylor anchored the defense with a team-best four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Jake Fields chimed in on the backline protection with a pair of caused turnovers as well to compliment his two ground balls.
Just seconds after the faceoff, the Tigers tested Pillsbury in cage with a streaky shot from distance. The veteran keeper made the stop for the Yeomen before Taylor transitioned upfield for the clear. Ryan Loughlin and Blasberg each took shots, but neither team was able to convert their opportunities in the opening possessions. It wasn't until the 5:14 mark in the first quarter that either team got on the board, starting with Sewanee in a goal off the back of Oberlin's failed clear.
Minutes later, Brennan put the Crimson and Gold on the board on a man-up opportunity after the Tigers committed a pair of penalties. Sewanee shot right back before the first quarter was up for a 2-1 advantage. Another save from Pillsbury gave the Crimson and Gold the ball again, leading to Blasberg setting Sam Ryu up for the equalizer. At 9:39 in the second quarter, Oberlin scored the last goal of the half.
Tied up at 2-2, the Yeomen came hot out of the gates. Trevor Flynn won the opening face-off, giving Jack Duffy the ball to put Oberlin ahead 3-2. Seemingly finding their offensive rhythm, Blasberg kept the Crimson and Gold run alive with another goal just one minute later. Brennan found Christian Tacogue for the next Oberlin goal, coming at the 3:53 mark.
Just before the end of the quarter, the Tigers came alive with three straight goals to eliminate Oberlin's lead. Winning the ensuing face-off, Sewanee took one last shot at Oberlin, but Pillsbury came in clutch to make the save and hold the draw.
With momentum on the side of the home team, Oberlin looked to create opportunities wherever they could. Through gritty play and forcing turnovers in the early minutes, the Crimson and Gold snagged the first goal of the quarter off the stick of Starcke at the 8:26 mark. With the 6-5 lead, Blasberg added one before Sewanee responded with a goal of their own.
Looking to clinch the road test, Oberlin came out of a timeout on defense with nine seconds remaining. Passing from behind the goal up to the left side, Sewanee took a shot across the box and past Pillsubry to force overtime.
Oberlin's struggles at the face-off carried over into the first overtime period, where Sewanee came away with the ground ball. Pillsbury saved a quick shot on goal before the two teams swapped turnovers. Calling a quick timeout to put a play into action, Oberlin returned to the field, where first-year Lewis Moore ran across the top of the box before shooting the game-winning goal. Behind Moore's second-career goal, Oberlin brings home a 8-7 victory over Sewanee.
The Yeomen return home for their next game when they host conference rival Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, March 30. Face off is set for 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.
