Tigers Unable To Keep Pace With Ohio Wesleyan
After playing preseason North Coast Athletic Conference favorite Ohio Wesleyan to a 2-2 standoff in the first quarter, the Wittenberg Tigers were unable to keep pace, giving up a 10-goal string to the Battling Bishops en route to a 13-6 road loss.
DELAWARE, Ohio - After playing preseason North Coast Athletic Conference favorite Ohio Wesleyan to a 2-2 standoff in the first quarter, the Wittenberg Tigers were unable to keep pace, giving up a 10-goal string to the Battling Bishops en route to a 13-6 road loss.
Wittenberg dropped to 4-7 overall and 0-4 in the NCAC. The Tigers conclude NCAC action Saturday with a game at Oberlin, which is also winless in conference, and then put the wraps on their first season under Head Coach George Harris on Tuesday, April 25, with a home date against Washington & Jefferson. Ohio Wesleyan is now 7-4 overall and 4-1 in the NCAC.
The Tigers took early leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against Ohio Wesleyan before enduring a nearly 34-minute scoring drought that encompassed the entire second quarter and most of the third as well. In that span, the Battling Bishops reeled off 10 straight goals, including seven in the decisive second quarter. Wittenberg scored four straight goals late in the game to pull within six before OWU rounded things out with the game's final goal.
Sophomore Brandon Hulett led Wittenberg with three goals and sophomore Matt Delestienne, junior Brandon Schwind and freshman James Hunter added one apiece. Schwind led the team in ground balls with five, but the Tigers faced substantial deficits in both the total shots and total ground balls categories by game's end. In goal, Wittenberg picked up 12 saves from junior Pat Garlock in his first start since early in the season due to injury.