Tigers Gain School-Record 15th Win As Depth Proves Difference In Second Half Of Win Over Denison
With the Wittenberg Tigers missing some of their best players, they faced a big challenge at Denison. The Tigers proved their depth of talent and leadership to claim another key three points in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings with a 2-1 victory.
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GRANVILLE, Ohio - With the Wittenberg Tigers missing some of their best players, they faced a big challenge at Denison. The Tigers proved their depth of talent and leadership to claim another key three points in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings with a 2-1 victory.
A hard-fought first half was played more in Wittenberg's defensive end as the Big Red, who upset Kenyon on Wednesday, came out strong to outshoot the visiting side, 8-4, in the first half. However, the Tiger defense kept the sheet clean to take a 0-0 tie into halftime.
The second half was a different story as the Tigers reversed course both physically and mentally. As the team's frame of mind quickly changed, junior midfielder Matt Fleissner (Fanwood, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) played a great ball in front of senior forward Shane Price (Minford, Ohio/Minford), allowing him to lob the ball past Denison's goalkeeper for his 10th goal of the season.
The Tigers continued to pressure the Big Red defense out the rest of the way, outshooting Denison, 11-6, in the second half and finding the back of the net again with a beautiful long ball played by junior defender Michael Condon (Powell, Ohio/Watterson), which junior forward Ryan Ruef (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) headed into the goal to put the Tigers in a more comfortable position with a 2-0 lead.
The Big Red continued to fight hard and found the goal in the 85th minute on an unassisted goal by Len Mills. But the Tiger defense held Denison off the last few minutes and to secure another victory and help Wittenberg maintain its hold on second place in the NCAC with one week left in the regular season.
The Tigers who are now 15-1 and 6-1 in the NCAC face the leaders of the NCAC Ohio Wesleyan at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. The 15 victories equal the school record for wins in a season set in 1993. That year, Wittenberg went on to finish 15-4-1 overall, win the program's lone NCAC championship and qualify for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Written By: Brenton Dawson