Tigers Battle Back But Fall Short Of 12th-Ranked Wabash

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers' run of hard luck continued with their fourth loss by a 2-1 score against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition, this time at home against Wabash.

The loss was Wittenberg's seventh in a row since a 5-2-1 start to the 2014 season. Six of those losses have come against NCAC rivals, and five of them have been by a mere one goal. Losses to Oberlin, Denison, DePauw and 12th-ranked Wabash have come by matching 2-1 scores.

The latest defeat came courtesy of a terrible start for the Tigers, who allowed two goals in the first 5:35. Wabash, which improved to 12-1-2 overall and 5-1-0 in the NCAC, scored on its first shot just one minute into the game and followed that up with another goal on its fourth attempt on Wittenberg freshman goalkeeper Robby Frye (Loveland, Ohio/Kings).

The rest of the game was remarkably even. Wittenberg outshot the visitors 16-14 over the final 84 minutes, including a 9-5 advantage in the second half. The Tigers managed to put just one ball in the back of the net, however, as sophomore defender John Long (Dublin, Ohio/Columbus Academy) scored on a penalty kick 2:28 into the second half.

Senior Brian Boutin (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) led the Tigers with four shots in the game, while freshman Alexandre Veuthey (Geneva, Switzerland) added three. At the other end of the pitch, Frye was credited with seven saves before giving way to senior James Van Artsdalen (Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield) for the final 28:14.

Written By: Ryan Maurer