On Saturday, the Kenyon field hockey team traveled to Springfield, Ohio to face the Wittenberg University Tigers. The Owls’ defensive strategy proved effective, despite being outshot, in a 1-0 victory.​​ The Owls also defeated Denison University 1-0 in a Tuesday night affair. 

Kenyon came out strong in the first quarter, with three penalty corners by Hannah Paprotna ’24 and two shots-on-goal by Kiersten Hoffmann ’25. While the score remained 0-0 at the end of the second quarter, the Owls entered the second half ready to attack.

The Tigers redoubled their offensive attack in the third quarter, outshooting the Owls 6-1.  Against the Wittenberg onslaught, goalkeeper Payton Doan ’23 stood strong, not allowing a single shot to pass. 

As the third quarter came to a close, the Owls’ offense looked to seize the momentum of Doan’s stout defense. Bella Kern ’23 scored the game’s only goal, with an assist by Lydia Turk ’23. Kenyon’s defense stood tall for the rest of the game, improving the Owls’ record to 3-2. Reflecting on the game, Paprotna wrote in an email to the Collegian, “For our next games we’re working to build the attack, and get off more shots, but it was overall a well fought win.”

On Tuesday, Kenyon played their NCAC foe, Denison. The matchup between the Owls and the Big Red was even, as the two teams had almost equal numbers of shots and saves. After almost a full game of back-and-forth on the field, Kern scored the game’s only goal with an assist from Lana Stone ’26 with only five minutes remaining in the game, to the home fans’ delight. Acting President Jeff Bowman took notice of the Owls’ late goal. “I saw a great field hockey game where we beat Denison by one,” he said.  

 Paprotna is optimistic about the season ahead. “Something I think that makes our team so strong is the off- the- field team chemistry we have, we’re always there for one another,” she said. Kenyon will next play on the road against Washington and Lee University (Va.) on Saturday.