During the second weekend of fall athletics, the Kenyon field hockey team played its first two home games of the season against two out-of-conference teams. On Saturday, the Owls, clad in purple, took the field to face one of their most difficult opponents on the schedule this season: the No. 16 Washington and Lee University (Va.) Generals. A day later, Kenyon defeated Ferrum College (Va.) 8-1.  

In the first half of the game, the Generals managed to net three of their total six goals, but the Owls’ flat passes and communication downfield helped Ella Haskins ’25 secure Kenyon’s only goal. Washington and Lee came back strong in the third and fourth quarters of the game, netting three more goals as the game finished 6-1 to the Generals. 

As the weekend continued, the Owls had a chance to even their record with another game on the Field at Benson Bowl. They took on a second non-conference team, the Ferrum College Panthers. 

In an email to the Collegian, Hannah Paprotna ’24 detailed the importance of playing at home: “Being on home turf always gets everyone going.” And get going they did. Just three minutes into the first quarter of the game, Haskins managed to net a goal, giving the Owls an early 1-0 lead. Though Ferrum was able to tie the game at 1-1, this was short-lived, as Grace Lane ’25 was able to connect with the back of the cage, putting Kenyon up 2-1 at the end of the first half. 

The Owls carried their momentum into the second half of the game, as two first-years, Ella Adamec ’27 and Maren Lawrence ’27, found the back of the net as well. As the game continued, the Owls racked up four more goals to end Sunday with an 8-1 victory over the Panthers. Paprotna described how the team was able to move on from the tough loss against the Generals: “On Saturday we managed to shake the game off, and come together to pull out a win for Sunday.”

On Wednesday evening, the Owls took on the Oberlin College Yeowomen in their first NCAC game of the year. Kenyon had the advantage, outshooting Oberlin 19-0, with 9 shots on goal. Lane scored the game’s only goal with an assist from Paprotna, ultimately sealing a victory for the Owls. This shutout victory extends Kenyon’s longstanding supremacy in field hockey against Oberlin, bolstering their all-time record to an impressive 25-1. It also maintains their formidable five-season streak of not allowing a single goal from the Yeowomen. 

This upcoming Saturday, the Kenyon field hockey team will get back to business and take on the University of Lynchburg (Va.), before staying in the Old Dominion State to face Sweet Briar College (Va.) a day later.