Faded Glory

Over homecoming weekend the men's and women's soccer teams hosted the annual alumni game, gathering past players from across the country. This year the game took on a new twist as the alumni played one another rather than the varsity squad. Thankfully the tradition of Oberlin winning was maintained. Here are some highlights from the cold, wet evening.

OC battles #2 OWU

Tonight the Oberlin College men's soccer team is hosting Division III power Ohio Wesleyan University. The Battling Bishops currently ranked #2 in the latest NSCAA national poll bring an undefeated record to the Yeomen's home field. Oberlin has yet to relinquish a goal at home during the 2009 season posting 5 shutouts winning all five matches. The two previous meetings between OC and OWU have been very tightly contested matches with both teams throwing everything they had at the other. OWU found themselves on the positive side of 1-0 scorelines in those matches.

The Yeomen are coming off a 1-0 win over NCAC opponent Wittenberg University this past Saturday to cap off Oberlin Athletic's Homecoming events. In a game where possession was fairly lopsided the OC players would have liked to see a few more of their point blank chance end up in the back of the net.



A couple of good days of training have us chomping at the bit to get out and defend our home field. Tonight will be a test and if we can put away our chances in front of goal I like our chances. A win for OC puts us in everyone's conversation across the country.

Go Yeo!

We are working to put together highlights from the Wittenberg match and will post some from the OWU game as well.

NCAC Play Heats Up

The Oberlin College men's soccer team is one day away from being fully engaged in North Coast Athletic Conference play. The team travels to Richmond, Indiana for a match up versus the Earlham College Quakers. The two teams will once again be playing for the rights to the Freedom Trophy. An EC alum initiated the trophy in 2005 given in honor of their 1954 team. The trophy represents the two institutions commitment to freedom and social justice.

The Yeomen are the current holders of the trophy downing EC 7-0 at home on Fred Shultz Field. We will look to continue our good start to the season (5-2-2) with a win on the road.

This past week the Yeomen went 1-1-1. Traveling to Case Western we struggled to find our feet on the turf and dropped a 1-0 game to a formidable UAA foe. On the weekend Oberlin opened NCAC play at Hiram College drawing 1-1. After falling behind Skyler Dum was able to level the score just minutes later. Although we would have rather won playing on the road and in an inhospitable environment earning one point for the conference race will do. During the midweek against Otterbein College, the Yeomen would defend our home field again posting our 4th shutout to remain unbeaten this season in the confines of Fred Shults Field. Josh Brancazio put the Yeomen on top midway through the second half and Dum tallied his 6th goal of the year to seal the match.

We hope that you have had the chance to see us in action via our webcasts of the past few games. Oberlin is making the effort to provide live video feeds of all our matches so that our fans, parents and recruits have the opportunity to be with us even when they cannot be on campus. Check our website (goyeo.com) for a schedule of games to be broadcast.

GO YEO!

Oberlin 1 Muskingum 0

A quality display earned us a victory at the friendly confines of Fred Shults Field. Some good possession led to a slew of chances throughout the match. Spurred on by tremendous crowd support, we were unlucky not to post a few more tallies. Looking forward to our conference schedule we hope to have your continued support. Here is a quick review of the match just incase you missed us.

The first taste of defeat

Hey everyone, Well, last night was not the Yeomen's best effort. I was worried about the game all week because BW was 0-5, but three of those losses were in overtime, and two were to nationally ranked programs. It was also their first home game, on turf (which isn't our favorite surface). BW came out of the gates hard and fast and it took us some time to wake up and match their intensity. We have talked a lot this season about setting the tempo and making teams adapt to our style and we did not do that last night. BW scored in the 18th minute on a corner kick and we wasted a couple of chances quickly afterwards. In the 36th minute there was a scramble in our box and Zach Lipshultz bravely tried to smother the ball at the six yard box, but the ball was poked away from him and a BW player slotted it home for a 2-0 lead. Our intensity level was much better in the second half and we had several chances. Skyler had three good strikes on goal but their keeper was up to each challenge. In the 75th minute our fate was sealed when Wyatt Hayman played a back pass a little too high and hard to Zach, and he tried to volley it out and miss kicked for the dreaded own goal. Our goal now is to put it behind us and prepare for Muskingum on Saturday night at home. We have to get back to our winning ways and I am confident the boys will be ready!....Go Yeomen.....Blake

Adidas Invitational

This past weekend the Yeomen traveled to fellow NCAC school Ohio Wesleyan University to participate in the Adidas Invitational with matches against Alma College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. You could say that we were a little Jeckyl and Hyde on the weekend. In Friday's match we were not at our best but managed to salvage a draw off a spectacular free kick from Skyler Dum.

The rest in the hotel, pregame meal from Olive Garden and some retail therapy at the mall must have put us back on track. Saturday evening we were focused and ready to play. Rose-Hulman was a much stronger side than Alma and the two teams went back and forth. A couple of near misses and another Dum free kick which came back off the crossbar left us even at the end of regulation. The team put forth a good effort and persevered through to the 108th minute when Dan Jaffe was able to redirect a Drew Williamson service for the game winner. Here is a bit of match footage for you to enjoy.

Coach Davis

2 Week Review

Hey everyone, I thought I would check in and let you know how our first two weeks of the season have gone. I am always nervous before the first game of the season. I thought we were pretty good but you never know until you play another team. We opened the season with a decent performance against Heidelberg College, not great, but not bad. We were all a bit jumpy and our spacing on the field suffered but we worked our way to a 2-0 win. Our second game four days later we were much better against Albion college in a 3-0 win, but we still have to work on imprinting our attacking possession style on the game. The boys worked hard on Monday and Tuesday as we added in some important fitness and functional work. We are looking forward to a weekend away down at Ohio Wesleyan where we will play Alma, and Rose-Hulman, two very good regional opponents. Hopefully next time we will have some video or pictures to share. Thanks and GO YEOMEN!

Coach New

OC Soccer Kicks Off 2009 Season

The Yeomen got the ball rolling with a solid effort in the first contest of the season. The team played Heidelberg College on September 1 at home on Fred Shults Field to a 2-0 decision. The field is in great shape, the grass is green and flat and plays fast. The boys were able to string together some fairly impressive possession and we capitalized on two set pieces. Skyler Dum, 2008 NSCAA Great Lakes All-Region 3rd Team Forward, used his head on both goals. Oliver Miller-Farrell, sophomore MF and Wyatt Hayman, Junior CB were each on the opposite end of Dum's goals.

The coaching staff is optamistic about the 2009 season. We have incorporated 7 first-year guys into the squad and seem to have the depth to turn in a good season. The non-conference portion of our schedule is challenging and should prepare us well for the demanding North Coast Athletic Conference matches. The returning players are poised to improve upon the 9-8-2 performance from a year ago and the quality of the new players will help to raise the bar.

The players have all settled in and are nearing the end of the first week of class. The training through preseason was intense and competitive and has hopefully laid the ground work for a good season. The team is in good spirits and looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead.

We hope that you will follow us closely this fall. From time to time you should find actual game footage, player interviews and other interesting Oberlin Soccer tidbits. Wish us luck as we take on Albion College Saturday, September 5th.

The Creative Side of OC Soccer

Prior to the 2007 season the Oberlin College Soccer coaching staff provided a challenge to the members of the team. Create a few commercials to help draw fans to our matches. As you can see they got pretty creative. The commercials did the trick as we often drew large crowds for our matches. The addition of lights for the 2008 season has added a whole new dimension to the atmosphere created at our games. Enjoy the creative side of Oberlin Soccer.

The Soccer Project

Two former college soccer players have taken a journey around the globe to explore how a round ball can unite people from the farthest corners of the world. They are creating a documentary film to be release in the future. Here is a short version. Enjoy. To find out more about the project visit The Soccer Project.


The Soccer Project from Rebekah Fergusson on Vimeo.

Recruiting Calendar to help you during this process

Prospective Recruits...

We have created a calendar/time line that will hopefully make the recruiting process easier and more efficient for you and the coaches of the respective schools that you have interest in attending. If you have already fallen behind you shouldn’t worry, but you should put in a couple of weeks of work to catch up. This may be one of the most important decisions you will make in your life and you should know that most coaches have a list of their top recruits solidified by the summer before your senior year. We hope you find this information useful and we look forward to becoming a part of your college search.

Fall of Junior Year
Begin meeting with your college counselor...
Begin investigating colleges that interest you academically and athletically...
(i.e. websites, college guides, course catalogs, etc. www.oberlin.edu)
Begin putting together a highlight video to send to college coaches...
Make a list of 8-10 colleges that have what you are looking for academically...
Send a letter of interest to the coaches at the respective schools that you’re interested in...

Spring of Junior Year
Register for the May and/or June SAT I and II...
(Coaches and Admissions will want scores to determine if you are admissible)
Spring Break- visit colleges, if possible...
Attend junior visit days on campus...
Attend college presentations at your school...
Choose a senior year course schedule that is commensurate with the qualifications of the
colleges in which you have interest...
Provide college coaches with your club tournament schedule and/or high school schedule...
Determine if the colleges you are interested in hold soccer camps on their campuses...
Nike Academy Camp-July 19-23 2009 at Oberlin College

Summer
Attend soccer camp at colleges you find interesting...
Make visits and meet with the coaching staff, if possible...
Make sure the coach has a video, schedule, references, etc. ...
Narrow your list of colleges and request application materials from Admissions...

Fall of Senior Year
Take official visits to your final list of schools; attend classes, stay overnight with players...
See the teams play, preferably on your official visit...
Start filling out applications...
If you feel good about a school, look into early decision options...
Oberlin’s Early Decision deadline is November 15th

Please feel free to contact Oberlin Men’s Soccer at 440-775-8506 with any questions.

Oberlin soccer is more than just soccer

Hey everybody, Just thought I would let you in on a cool aspect of Oberlin soccer. Our guys are so much more than just soccer players. On top of being great students, they each have various interests that make them unique. Today we will highlight one of our guys who has made his name around Oberlin and beyond as a great DJ. David Lowe and some friends from back home in LA have a music group called 3DI and they specialize in mashing up and remixing songs along with original production. If you don't know what I am talking about then visit their blog Just Gravy, No Potatoes and experience some of their musical taste and even download some of their mashups

Hat Tricks All Around

If you had the chance to watch the US Men's National team last evening vs. Trinidad and Tobago you saw Jozy Altidore knock three past the GK. Very nice for a young player. I thought I would share with you an Oberlin hat trick from this past season. Junior Forward Skyler Dum scored three against Earlham College last October. Sky, is a Third Team All-Great Lakes Region Forward with a knack for scoring good goals. Enjoy his hat trick.



The Oberlin soccer team has just begun our non-traditional season. Following spring break our team trains three days a week for a five week period, per NCAA guidelines. We work toward improving players technical abilities and tactical understanding; we experiment with patterns and systems of play; and we work hard to increase each players fitness level as they transition into our summer workout. Most important... it's just good to be back out on the field training and playing soccer.

Inaugural Post

Welcome to the Oberlin College Soccer Blog. We are going to try to keep you up to date on the daily happenings within our program. In this blog you will find anything and everything pertaining to men's soccer at Oberlin. We will provide updates throughout the year including match recaps, player profiles and interviews, training sessions, recruiting updates, tournaments that we will attend and our thoughts on them and the many other things that make up Oberlin Men's Soccer.

We will start you off with some goals from this past season. We put four past Case Western last September.