Season in Review

The Wittenberg University women's soccer team made significant progress in Head Coach Norm Riker's second season at the helm, perhaps setting the stage for the team getting over the hump and back into the upper echelon of the rugged North Coast Athletic Conference.

November 14, 2003
Kaiti Hiscar in Action in 2003
Kaiti Hiscar
Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University women's soccer team made significant progress in Head Coach Norm Riker's second season at the helm, perhaps setting the stage for the team getting over the hump and back into the upper echelon of the rugged North Coast Athletic Conference.

The Tigers finished 8-10-1 overall in 2003, including a 3-5 mark in the NCAC. The overall record was an improvement of two games from the 2002 season, while the conference record matched the previous season's, although it included more competitive games against top teams than in 2002.

The Tigers played a large number of close games in 2003, and the results were predictably mixed. Wittenberg went 3-6 in one-goal games, although just two of those were in NCAC action. In games decided by two goals, Wittenberg finished 4-0.

The high point of the season came on Sept. 18 when the Tigers defeated perennial powerhouse Wilmington on the road by a 1-0 count. The low point came in October when the Tigers dropped five straight conference games - to the five teams that finished ahead of them in the final standings.

Postseason Honors:
The Wittenberg women's soccer team placed five student-athletes on the All-NCAC honor rolls.

Senior forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood), the team's leading scorer all four years and the No. 2 goal scorer in school history, made first-team for the third time. Sophomore midfielder Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) was named second team for a second straight year, where she was joined by freshman Jamie McIntyre (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview). Honorable mention recognition went to senior Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) and freshman Phoebe Gaston (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest).

Woessner was additionally recognized with third-team All-Great Lakes Region honors. It was the third time in her career she earned an all-region award.

Youth Movement:
The 2003 Tiger women's soccer team included five seniors on a roster numbering 25, but what was more noteworthy was the number of underclassmen. Thirteen freshmen and five sophomores dominated the roster, and many of them received large amounts of playing time.

Of three players to reach double figures in scoring in 2003, two were underclassman. Woessner led with 17 points, sophomore Lindsay Zigler (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) was next with 13 points and freshman Lucia Cornett (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) came on strong as the season went on, coming off the bench in 18 of the 19 games in which she played to finish with four goals and two assists for 10 total points.

Five players started all 19 games in 2003, and three of them were freshmen: defenders Phoebe Gaston (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest), Jamie McIntyre andLauren Fraley (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy). They figure to make up a strong defensive nucleus for years to come, which is especially important in 2004 considering that the team will be breaking in a new goalkeeper.



Phoebe Gaston in Action in 2003
Phoebe Gaston
Ouchies:
The Tigers have had their issues with injuries the last two years, and Head Coach Norm Riker has to be hoping that it is not a trend that will continue. In 2002, his first year at the helm, Woessner and Zigler, his top two scorers, were among several players to go down with season-ending injuries midway through the campaign.

In 2003, the offense was stung again by the injury bug, starting with promising freshman forward Liz Volz (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton), who went down with a season-ending injury just two games in. Senior forward Kaiti Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) also went down early in the season with an injury, the first of several players to miss games during the regular season and still return to the field. Just seven players appeared in all 19 games and just five started all 19, in part due to the injury problems the team encountered.

Super Seniors:
Geri Woessner, who led the team in scoring all four years (including 2002 when she played just half the games due to a knee injury), spearheaded a strong five-person senior class in 2003. She was joined by two-time all-conference choice Jenny Miller, who started more than 50 games in goal in her four years in the Red & White, forward Cristin Gill (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland), Kaiti Hiscar, who played two seasons with the women's soccer team and earned Offensive MVP honors in 2003, and defensive back Jessica Shellhause (London, Ohio/London), a stalwart in the backfield for the Tigers all four years of her career.

All five seniors played key roles on the team in 2003, meaning that despite the overall youth in the program, some holes will have to be filled in 2004.

The Coach:
Norm Riker (Springfield '95) ended his second season with a record of 14-22-1. He came to Wittenberg in 2002 from Vassar College, where he had served as an assistant for seven years, including the 2000 season in which he served as interim head coach. His career record is now 25-29-1.

A native of Block Island, R.I., Riker holds an NSCAA advanced national diploma and a USSF "B" Licence in soccer and is active in several of the area soccer leagues. Riker was also a four-year lacrosse letterwinner at Springfield College (Mass.). He was a captain of the lacrosse team as a senior and selected to the prestigous North-South All-Star Game. He holds a bachelor of arts in history from Springfield, attained in 1992, and he has since attained a master of professional studies in humanistic education from the State University of New York, New Paltz.