Springfield, Ohio – Mary Rodman scored in overtime to lift Oberlin College field hockey to a 2-1 comeback win over Wittenberg on Wednesday evening at Edwards-Maurer Field. Rodman's goal at 62:59 gave the Crimson and Gold their first win over the Tigers in more than 15 years, since a 4-3 overtime victory on Sept. 18, 2011.
"I'm incredibly proud of this team and the way they showed up tonight. We put a lot of intentional thought into our preparation for this game and made some adjustments in practices that our players fully bought into and executed when it mattered. Every individual continued to raise their own standard tonight, and in doing that, they raised the standard of the entire team." Head Coach Jess West said.
Wittenberg held a 15-7 advantage in shots (8-6 on goal) and an 11-2 edge in penalty corners, but Oberlin's defense held strong. Goalkeeper Mia Rubin played all 62:59 and allowed just one goal. Abby Bruskin also added a defensive save.
Wittenberg struck first, scoring at the 38:01 mark of the third quarter to take a 1-0 lead.
Oberlin responded in the fourth quarter. Shelby Roth converted a penalty stroke at 58:26 to level the score at 1-1 and force overtime. In the extra period, Meaghan Kramer picked off a Tigers pass and carried the ball to the 10-yard line from the half. Rodman then found the ball with open space in front of her, sent it into the bottom left corner of the cage, and sealed the win at 62:59.
Rodman led the Crimson and Gold with three shots, all on goal. Clare Kammeier added two shots, one on goal, while Samantha Finkelberg put a shot on target and Roth added one shot.
"What stood out to me most was how much they played for one another. They communicated, competed, stayed connected, and truly embodied our 'One Team, One Purpose' mentality from start to finish. To come away with a 2-1 overtime win on the road is a really special result for this group, and they earned every bit of it."
The Crimson and Gold return to action on Sunday, October 18th at 11 a.m. as they travel to Transylvania.
Keep up with the Crimson and Gold on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and watch every home game on the Oberlin Sports Network online or on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.
