The Kenyon field hockey team fell to Wittenberg University 3-2 in the regular season finale on Saturday and then 6-0 to Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday in the conference tournament semifinal game to close out the season. The losses dropped the Owls to 10-8 (6-4 NCAC) on the year.

In the second minute of Saturday’s contest, Grace Lane ’25 opened up the scoring, giving the Owls an early 1-0 lead. However, 10 minutes later, Wittenberg tied it up to end the first quarter. The Tigers were then able to tack on two more goals in the second and third quarters to go up 3-1 entering the final frame. In the fourth, the Owls made a comeback effort, as Lane scored her team- and NCAC-leading 15th goal with an assist from Hannah Paprotna ’24. However, that was all Kenyon could get, as the Owls fell 3-2.

The loss was Kenyon’s first to Wittenberg since 2018 and capped off a conference record of 6-4 on the season, an improvement from 2022, when the team finished 4-4 in league play. Goalkeeper Megan Lydon ’25 wrote in an email to the Collegian: “We need to make sure we don’t wait to push forward after some time has gone by and start off playing our game the moment that game starts.” 

Before the Wittenberg game, Kenyon had won six games in a row and had not tasted defeat since Sept. 30. Despite the loss, Lydon believed that the regular season had an overall upward trajectory. “We had our toughest games at the beginning of the season which pushed us immediately,” she explained. “Our out-of-conference play challenged us to work out some kinks right in the beginning, which was why we were able to see lots of success as the season went on.”

However, on Wednesday, the Owls could not generate much offense and fell 6-0 to an undefeated Ohio Wesleyan team in the semifinals of the NCAC Tournament. The game was close early, with the Battling Bishops only leading 2-0 at halftime. However, the Owls let up in the third quarter — giving up three goals in the frame — and were never able to come back.

Despite the losses, the Owls’ season had its highpoints, such as tying its longest winning streak since 2019 and scoring eight goals in a September game against Ferrum College (Va.), their most in a single game since 2010. Lydon reflected on the year: “The season has overall been successful. … I’m really proud of the mindset we all have.” The Kenyon field hockey team will return for the 2024 season, where it will look to build off of its fifth consecutive winning season.