Season in Review

The Wittenberg University women’s soccer team went through its share of ups and downs in 2002, but the good news is that a lot of young players made the most of their opportunities to play on the varsity level. In addition, the Tigers consistently proved that they could play with some of the best teams in the Great Lakes Region.

November 5, 2002
Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University women’s soccer team went through its share of ups and downs in 2002, but the good news is that a lot of young players made the most of their opportunities to play on the varsity level. In addition, the Tigers consistently proved that they could play with some of the best teams in the Great Lakes Region.

Wittenberg finished with a 6-12 overall record and a mark of 3-5 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, good for sixth place. Of the five teams ahead of the Tigers, four were ranked in the top 10 in the region at season’s end.

Excluding a pair of lop-sided defeats against nationally ranked opponents, the Tigers were only outscored 19-17 in the other 16 games despite playing an outstanding schedule. The Tigers’ biggest problem was that they couldn’t find the back of the opponents’ net enough as they scored a total of 17 goals in 18 games and were shut out 10 times.

On the flip side, Wittenberg recorded five shutouts of its own and just three teams, all ranked among the nation’s top 25 during the season, managed more than two goals against the Tigers.



Geri Woessner heads toward the goal

Geri Woessner heads toward the goal again.
Postseason Honors:
The Tigers placed one athlete on the All-NCAC second team and two more among the honorable mention selections. Freshman midfielder Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) was named second team. Junior forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood), the team’s leading scorer despite missing half the season with a knee injury, and sophomore midfielder Rachel Ridgeway (Montclair, N.J./The Taft School) were both named honorable mention.

Woessner was also named third-team All-Ohio, the second straight year she has earned recognition.

The Veterans:
The Tigers bid adieu to three seniors following the 2002 season, midfielder Rachel Helsinger (Monroe, Ohio/Lemon-Monroe), who didn’t see any action due to an injury, midfielder Sarah Tkacz (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster), who made 10 starts and appeared in all 18 games, and defensive back Amy McCann (University Heights, Ohio/Gilmour Academy), started seven of the 17 games in which she played.

A standout junior class will constitute the core of the team again in 2003. Woessner, one of the finest players to ever don the Red & White, forward Cristin Gill (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) and goalkeeper Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) will be the captains next year in hopes of moving the program back into the top half of the always tough NCAC. Woessner led the team with five goals and two assists in just nine games in 2002, Gill started all 18 games and had one goal, and Miller, who was also a captain this year, started nine games in goal and appeared in 13 games overall.

Other juniors who figure to be key contributors in 2003 are midfielder Kaitlin Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial), who was second on the team with three goals and six total points while starting 10 games and appearing in 10, defensive back Alison Spansky (Munroe Falls, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls), who started 14 games, appeard in all 18 and scored one goal, and defensive back Jessica Shellhause (London, Ohio/London), who started 15 of 18 games.

Youth Movement:
The 2002 Wittenberg women’s soccer team included three seniors and seven juniors, many of whom had limited roles on the team. That left a great deal of playing time for the team’s 10 freshmen and sophomores.

Perhaps taking the best advantage of it were sophomore goaltender Eileen Quinn (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), who shared the starting spot, and sophomore midfielder Rachel Ridgeway, who earned postseason accolades after starting all 15 of the team’s 18 games. The other sophomore who saw significant action was actually a first-year player, Meredith Belser (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who was a standout for the Tigers’ stingy defense and started all 18 games.

The freshman class included a number of significant contributors, including All-NCAC second-team choice Emily Hiscar, a midfielder, and standout defensive back Alecia Dimar (Louisville, Ky./DuPont Manual). Hiscar, who was second on the team with three goals and six total points, started 16 games and played in all 18, while Dimar, who added two goals and an assist for five total points, started all 18.

Also seeing significant playing time in their first collegiate season were midfielder Melissa Gallion (West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson), who made seven starts and played 18 games, and midfielder Julie Hoeksema (Holland, Mich./Christian), who made 10 starts and appeared in all 18 games. In addition, forward Lindsay Zigler (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) started three games and scored four points before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

The Coach:
Norm Riker ended his first season with a record of 6-12. He came to Wittenberg last spring from Vassar College, where he had served as an assistant for seven years, including the 2001 season in which he served as interim head coach.