Tigers Fall In NCAC Tournament Semifinals On Late Goal At Denison

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Jenny Schaafsma

GRANVILLE, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers put together a furious second-half rally to reach the brink of their first-ever North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament championship game. But the host Denison Big Red dashed the Tigers' hopes with a tie-breaking goal with just 43 seconds left in what turned out to be a thrilling 12-11 victory. 

The top-seeded Big Red improved to 12-4 overall after winning the NCAC regular season title with a perfect 6-0 regular season record. Denison will host third-seeded Wooster, the winner of the NCAC's other tournament semifinal over Allegheny, on Saturday.

Wittenberg saw its season come to a close with a 9-6 overall record. The Tigers were the No. 4 seed in the tournament after finishing in a fourth-place tie with Kenyon at 3-3.

The Big Red had a significant advantage in the first half, outshooting the Tigers 16-6 and also easily outpacing Wittenberg in draw controls and ground balls. However, junior goalkeeper Jenny Schaafsma (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) played a stellar 30 minutes, turning away five shots, while the Tigers scored on five of their six shot attempts to stay within striking distance at 6-5.

Denison gained the upper hand early in the second half, however, and built a 10-6 lead after a goal at the 21:34 mark. That's when the Tigers rallied, scoring five of the next six goals to draw even at 11-11 with 7:53 remaining on a goal by freshmanFrancine Murzynski (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic). That set the stage for an exciting stretch run, with Denison finally breaking through with a goal with just 43 seconds left after a lengthy offensive possession.

Senior Maggie Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy) ended her career with a flourish, leading the Tigers with four goals. Junior Jenn Close (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) added three, while Murzynski, junior Krissy Battles (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood), sophomore Erin Guiliano (Mason, Ohio/Kings) and seniorJordan Beauchamp (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) each added one score. For Beauchamp, the goal was the 100th of her illustrious collegiate career.

Schaafsma finished with 10 saves in the game. Also of note, sophomore Kellen Morrissey (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) led both teams with seven draw controls (out of nine total for Wittenberg), and she also shared team honors with three ground balls. Sophomore Katie Warner (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy) and freshman Alex Dressman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline) also finished with three ground balls each in the game.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: After the tournament, Amorello and Morrissey were selected to the 2011 NCAC All-Tournament Team.