OBERLIN, Ohio – In the first game of the 2018 season and the first of head coach Nicholle St. Pierre's tenure in Berea, the Baldwin Wallace University women's lacrosse team fell to Oberlin 19-11 in non-conference action at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletic Complex.
Senior attack Caitlin Wheeler (Lake Mills, Wis./Oak Park-River Forest {Ill.}) led BW (0-1) with six goals, two shy of her career high. Junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference midfielder Megan Patrick (Ravenna/Kent Roosevelt) added three goals of her own along with a team-leading four ground balls. Junior attack Mackenzie Moran (Carlisle, Pa.) netted two goals and a career-high two assists for a career-high four points along with a team-high tying two caused turnovers to round out the scorers.
Senior midfielder Natalie Rauchle led Oberlin (1-0) with seven goals. Senior midfielder Sydney Garvis, freshman attack Ali Wessel, freshman midfielder Kyra Aviles and sophomore midfielder Eliza Amber each scored three goals.
BW opened up the 2018 season with a goal from Moran, assisted by sophomore midfielder Savanna Jaekle (Lockport, N.Y.), at the 27:54 mark. Oberlin responded with its first goal of the season with 25:22 remaining in the half. The Yellow Jackets and the Yeowomen then proceeded to trade goals until Oberlin finally netted two consecutive goals to take a 4-3 lead with 16:16 left on the game clock. BW countered with two goals from Patrick and Wheeler and retook a 5-4 lead just three minutes later. A late surge by Oberlin brought them to a 10-6 lead at halftime as the Yeomen scored a few quick goals off the draw control in the final few minutes.
Defense marked the early portion of the second half as neither team was able to find the back of the net until the 22:23 mark when Oberlin scored to take an 11-6 lead. Patrick scored on a free position shot just under a minute later, the first goal in almost 16 minutes for the Yellow Jackets, and Wheeler scored on back-to-back possessions as BW only trailed 11-9 with 18:37 remaining in the game. Oberlin scored twice more in two minutes to retake a four-goal lead, 13-9, and the Yeowomen offense just kept rolling. Patrick scored the Yellow Jackets final goal with 16 seconds left as Oberlin cruised to a 19-11 victory.
BW will be back in action on the west coast when the Yellow Jackets travel to Oregon over spring break for three games beginning with Pacific University on March 6 at 9 p.m. EST.
