Tigers Season Starts with Promise

Dan Patterson

Alex Nichols

Andy Oliver

The Wittenberg men's lacrosse team opened a 2002 season filled with promise with an extremely encouraging effort against nationally ranked NCAC foe Denison. Playing Sunday afternoon in frigid conditions on Wittenberg's Edwards-Maurer Field - a day later than planned due to the poor condition of Denison's field - the Tigers extended the Big Red to the limit before falling 5-4.

Wittenberg trailed 3-1 at halftime but rallied to take a brief 4-3 lead before the No. 6 ranked andpreseason favorite Big Red finally broke through, scoring two goals in the final 10 minutes to defeat the Tigers. Senior Alex Nichols (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) had two goals in the game, while junior Dan Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./Desmet Jesuit) and junior Justin Bitner (Lansing, Mich./Waverly) each contributed a pair of assists to the offensive effort.

Defensively, the Tigers got tremendous performances from several players, most notably, according to second-year Head Coach Vinnie Lang, junior long stick midfielders Wes Enicks (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) and Ross Mellgren (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview).

For the season ahead, the Tigers have a lot of offensive production they must replace after losing leading scorers Mario Cassani and Shawn Egan to graduation last spring. A variety of players, including incumbent starters and double-digit scorers, Nichols, Patterson, junior Zach Kulow(Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and sophomore Hans Rydquist (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), will be called upon to lead the offense in 2002.

Defensively, Enicks and Mellgren will be joined by a thin but solid defensive group that is led by senior Jon Simon (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller), senior Andy Oliver (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette) and sophomore Jim Kelley (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson). In the net will be either 2001 starter, juniorTripp Way (Wayne, Pa./Radnor), or sophomore Kyle Prussing (Concord, N.H./Carlisle), who made 20 saves against Denison.

The Tigers are back in action with two matches in Virginia over the Spring Break next week. They return home again on Saturday, March 23 for a game against NCAC rival Oberlin.