Wittenberg Holds Off Kenyon For First 2005 Home Victory

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers sent off the 2005 senior class in style Wednesday, capturing a hard-fought 9-8 victory over visiting Kenyon. It was Wittenberg's second straight one-goal North Coast Athletic Conference win, coming on the heels of the 5-4 win at Oberlin on April 23.

The Tigers improved to 6-7 overall, in the process tripling their win total from 2004. The win moved the Tigers to 2-3 in the NCAC and moved Wittenberg ahead of the Ladies in the conference standings. The Tigers round out the conference regular season with a game at undefeated league-leader Denison on Saturday.

Wittenberg was held scoreless in the first 15 minutes of the game and found itself in a 4-0 hole. However, the Tigers scored six unanswered goals to close the first half to take a 6-4 advantage into the intermission. After Kenyon scored a goal 35 seconds into the second half, the Tigers clamped down again on defense, holding the Ladies scoreless for the next 17 minutes while scoring twice to stretch the lead to three goals. Kenyon rallied with two goals in the final 1:51, but sophomore Melissa Jackson's goal at the 6:25 mark of the final stanza turned out to be the difference in a 9-8 victory.

Offensively, the Tigers picked up a three-goal, one-assist game from senior Jenny Burns in her final home game in the Red & White. Jackson, sophomore Michelle Hanners and freshman Emine Cirpili added two goals each, while freshman Amber Cupples was credited with two assists and Hanners, Jackson and Cirpili added one helper each.

The key on defense was the play of sophomore Clare Bucheit, who turned away 18 shots - nine in each half. Kenyon, which outshot Wittenberg 32-31 for the game, also recorded 18 saves. Senior Carrie Happ, a defender who has started every game the last four years, also played her final home game for the Tigers.