Aleksi Pelkonen
Sports Editor
A pair of seniors scored a goal apiece for The College of Wooster field hockey team against Wittenberg University on the team’s Senior Night, ensuring a 2-1 victory for the Scots.
After conceding a goal to the Tigers less than a minute into the game, Leah Prescott ’17 tallied for the Scots on the other side of halftime, off of an assist from Rachel Wetzel ’17. The Scots and Tigers remained deadlocked until three minutes and 53 seconds into the second overtime period, when team captain Kayla O’Connor ’17 buried a shot to the lower left of the Tigers’ goal to win the game for Wooster. Maeven Barry ’19 assisted the goal. Lida Levine ’19 turned away nine of Wittenberg’s 10 shots on target. The Scots were outshot by the Tigers 32 to 27, but did manage to get 14 of their shots on target.
The win comes on the heels of a 2-1 victory over Ohio Wesleyan, which was Brenda Meese’s 300th victory as the Fighting Scots’ head coach. The 1975 Wooster alum has been the Fighting Scots’ head coach for 26 years. After the victory over Wittenberg, she now has a career record of 301-197-4 (.604) as Wooster’s head coach.
The Scots now hold a conference record of 6-6, which is good enough for fifth in the conference standings. Placed just above them are the aforementioned Wittenberg, who also hold a conference record of 6-6. To maximize their chances of finishing in the top-four and making the conference tournament, the Scots will have to win their last two conference matches, against Denison University and Oberlin College.
“Our goal all season has been to make the conference tournament again,” Prescott, who has scored eight goals this season, said.
Key for the Scots this season has been a strong defense; in their eight wins, only once have the Scots conceded more than two goals. As long as they remain strong defensively, the Scots have proven to be one of the toughest teams to beat in the entire NCAC.
“We have a relatively young defensive line that has come a long way this season,” Prescott said. “I think they have gained a lot of confidence over the last two games.”
Up next for the Scots is a tough match-up in the penultimate game of the season; Denison has a 9-3 conference record, comfortably sitting third in the conference standings. The Scots’ previous matchup against them was a 4-0 loss in Granville, Oh.
The Scots will play Denison on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at home after press time. In addition to their late-season momentum, the Scots boast a strong home record. They are 6-2 at John P. Papp Stadium this season, with the only losses coming at the hands of conference powerhouses Kenyon College and DePauw University.
Following that, the Scots will take on Oberlin on Saturday in Oberlin, Oh. If the Scots are victorious in both games, they will likely secure a berth in the conference tournament starting next week, something they have not done since 2013.
A lot can happen over the course of a season, but one thing is certain, to Prescott, the season has been a resounding success.
“At the end of the day, Wooster field hockey is a family and I wouldn’t trade this season for anything,” she said. In that case, let’s hope the season doesn’t end on Saturday.
