Wittenberg Caps Season With Improbable Win At Oberlin

OBERLIN, Ohio - For the second straight year, the Wittenberg Tigers traveled to Oberlin for a regular season-ending game. For the second straight year, a great deal was on the line and the Tigers rallied for a 2-1 overtime win.

This time, however, the Tigers couldn't quite reach the top of the NCAC regular season mountain, ending up in a second-place tie with Wooster, one game behind Oberlin, which Wittenberg defeated twice. Wittenberg, now 10-7 overall and 8-4 in the NCAC, lost its chance to win a fourth straight regular season crown with a 2-1 overtime home loss to Denison on Wednesday.

Saturday's win was an amazing one statistically. The Oberlin Yeowomen, who finished the regular season with a 13-4 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the NCAC, outshot Wittenberg 20-0 in the first half and 30-2 in regulation, but the Tigers pulled into a 1-1 tie on a goal by junior Katy Barrett with 16 minutes remaining in the game. The assist was credited to sophomore Alison Voigt.

Wittenberg sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Irvin went into the books with a whopping 29 saves, one short of the NCAC record and eight shy of the Wittenberg school mark. Her final two saves in the overtime period set the stage for the game-winning goal by junior Holly McHugh, who scored unassisted just 2:30 into the extra session.

Wittenberg has won each of the previous three NCAC Tournament titles, and the Tigers have never had to play a road game in the competition. That will change on Wednesday as the Tigers will try to do it the hard way, traveling to Wooster for a semifinal match-up. The Tigers and Scots split their games during the regular season, with each team winning by two goals on its home turf.