Late Goal, Clutch Defense Pushes Tigers Past Denison

Outshot 29-9, Wittenberg pulls out much-needed North Coast Athletic Conference road victory by 3-2 margin.

Zara Tickner made a pair of key defensive saves in a 3-2 win over Denison. File Photo | Nick Falzerano
Zara Tickner made a pair of key defensive saves in a 3-2 win over Denison. File Photo | Nick Falzerano
October 15, 2015
Box Score

GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers solidified their hold on the fourth and final spot in the upcoming North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings with an improbable 3-2 road win over Denison.

The win moved the Tigers to 5-8 overall, but more importantly Wittenberg is now 5-4 and in fourth place in the NCAC. Next up for the Tigers is another challenging league road trip on Saturday, Oct. 17, to Kenyon, which is unbeaten in nine NCAC games so far in 2015.

The win over Denison avenged a shootout loss to the Big Red in Springfield last month. It dropped Denison to 9-5 overall and 7-3 in the league, good for third place in the standings with four games remaining.

The first half was played mostly in Wittenberg's end. The Big Red outshot the Tigers 21-2 over the opening 35 minutes, but Wittenberg made the most of its scoring opportunities, cashing in on a goal by sophomore Riley Trexler (Louisville, Ky./Atherton), who tipped in a shot by freshman Blaine Donnelly (Hanover, Md./Archbishop Spalding) in the 14th minute.

Denison tied it up shortly before halftime on a rebound goal after one of 12 first-half saves by junior goalkeeper Sarah Brownell (Oconomowoc, Wis./University Lake School). The two teams then traded goals in the early going of the second half, starting with Trexler's second score in the 39th minute that was matched in the 44th minute by Denison.

That set the stage for a game-winning tally from sophomore Audrey Coler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) at the 60:42 mark. She controlled a rebound after senior Paige Vanerstrom (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) had her shot saved.

The final shot count was a deceiving 29-9, although over the final 35 minutes it was just 8-7 in favor of Denison. The Big Red were awarded 10 penalty corners in each half, compared to just two in the entire game for Wittenberg.

Brownell made 14 total saves in the game, but she and the Tigers got a big boost from three defensive saves by field players. Senior Andrea Mattingly (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy) made one defensive save and sophomore Zara Tickner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) added a pair of key stops.

Written By: Ryan Maurer