Owls can’t clinch comeback as OWU wins in overtime

GAMBIER, Ohio — The Field at Benson Bowl hosted a fantastic field hockey game on Tuesday evening between the Kenyon College Owls and the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops. The hosting Owls withstood two early Battling Bishops blows, but Kenyon mounted a third-quarter comeback in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) clash. However, the visitors spoiled the comeback in overtime, scoring the golden goal to hand Kenyon a 3-2 heartbreaker.

The loss dropped Kenyon’s record to 6-2 (3-1 NCAC) this season, and it snapped a four-game winning streak that included wins in the team’s first three conference contests. On the other side, Ohio Wesleyan improved to 6-3 (1-0 NCAC), snapping a two-game losing streak and securing the first NCAC victory for the reigning conference champions. 

After a scoreless first quarter, Ohio Wesleyan opened the scoring with a goal in the 29th minute that gave the visitors the momentum heading into halftime. OWU outshot the Owls 8-0 over the first half, and the Battling Bishops goal came from a penalty corner set piece, one of three penalty corners the visitors earned in the second stanza.

Ohio Wesleyan maintained the momentum in the third quarter, doubling Kenyon’s deficit less than three minutes into the second half. The Bishops battered the Owls with nine unanswered shots to open the half, but Megan Lydon made four saves and Kenyon kept the deficit from growing to three. Liz Cramer, Darcy Miller, Raigan Hutter, Ada Wigfield, and first-year Ariana Rowe, who played very well off the bench, were just some of the Owls defenders who helped keep Kenyon in the game.

The stalwart defense quickly paid off as the Owls converted their first offensive opportunity of the half. Maren Lawrence led the Owls up the field and took the ball coast-to-coast before connecting on Kenyon’s first goal in the 39th minute, the sophomore’s fifth of the season.

The Owls scored again shortly after getting on the board, breaking through the Bishops defense in the 41st minute. Hutter played the ball in on a Kenyon corner, and the senior tapped in the equalizer after first-year Zady Hasse fired the ball toward the cage for her first career assist.

Despite matching OWU’s 2-0 run with two straight scores of their own, the Owls offense did not have another chance to score in the fourth frame. Ohio Wesleyan outshot the Owls 8-0 in the quarter, but Kenyon’s defense held up again to force extra time. Unfortunately for the Owls, the OWU pressure continued into the overtime period, and the visitors broke through on their fifth shot while keeping Kenyon from getting a shot off, winning the game 3-2 with a golden goal in the 64th minute.

Up next, the Owls will look to bounce back on Saturday, September 28, when the team welcomes Denison University for the final game of a four-game homestand. The NCAC matchup is set to start at noon, and the Owls will be celebrating Homecoming Weekend in Gambier while also designating the game as their Morgan’s Message Game.