Wittenberg University Men’s Soccer to host Annual Invitational Tournament

Joe Zeller

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg University men's soccer team will kick-off the 2006 season by welcoming three outstanding opponents to Edwards-Maurer Field this weekend for the annual Wittenberg Invitational.

Ohio Dominican University, Kenyon College and Otterbein College will join the host Tigers in this year's Wittenberg Invitational. Two games will be played on both days, starting with a contest between Kenyon and Otterbein at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2. Wittenberg hits the field against Ohio Dominican at 7:30 p.m. that day. On Sunday, Kenyon and Ohio Dominican will square off at 3 p.m., followed by Wittenberg and Otterbein 5:30 p.m.

The Tigers have a relatively young team again in 2006, but expectations are running high. Coming off a 7-6-6 season in 2005, including a 4-2-3 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), Wittenberg was picked to finish second in the league this year, ranking behind only nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan and ahead of perennial powers Denison, Allegheny and Wooster. In 2006, Wittenberg has 15 letterwinners, including eight starters, back in the fold and a promising five-man freshmen class ready to bolster the effort.

The three teams joining the Tigers in the 2006 Wittenberg Invitational will provide strong competition. Ohio Dominican has fielded a top-quality NAIA scholarship program for years. The Panthers, the 2004 Wittenberg Invitational champions, are coming off a 10-7-1 overall record a year ago after reaching the regional championship game in 2004. Otterbein, the 2002 NCAA Division III runner-up and the 2003 and 2005 Wittenberg Invitational champion, is a perennial title contender in the challenging Ohio Athletic Conference. The Cardinals are coming off a respectable 8-8-2 record in 2005. Kenyon, which will be led by former Wittenberg coach Chris Brown for a second straight year, is coming off a 2005 season in which the Lords posted records of 4-9-4 overall and 1-7-1 in the rugged NCAC.

Steve Dawson returns to Wittenberg this year for his 24th season as Wittenberg men's soccer head coach with a career record of 229-167-23. He ranks among the top 40 in NCAA Division III coaching victories.

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