Tigers Clinch NCAC Spot In 0-0 Tie With Denison

Kelly Clark

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - When 110 minutes passed without a goal from the Denison and Wittenberg women's soccer teams Wednesday night, it came as no surprise. Heading into the game, the Big Red and the Tigers occupied first and second place in the NCAA Division III shutout percentage rankings with 14 for Denison and the 13 for the Tigers.

Despite the neutral finish, the Tigers needed only one point in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings to guarantee themselves a spot in the upcoming NCAC Tournament, when they will have a chance to compete for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers, holding opponents to the nation's fourth-best scoring average at 0.289 goals per game, defended 10 Denison shots through the mutual shutout, sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) turning away six shots on goal.

Wittenberg matched with 10 shots of their own, though only three forced saves from the Denison netminder. Four Tigers unleashed two shots each, joined by two more teammates who shot once, including senior forward Emily Murray (Pestoskey, Mich./Petoskey).

Murray and five other seniors received pre-game honors as the Tigers celebrated Senior Night, including Murray, midfielder Rachael Radel (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), forward Sara Pirozzi (Akron, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy), forward Kelly Clark (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley), defender Sarah Braden (Independence, Ohio/Brecksville), and player turned team manager Karen Girard (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes).

The tie with Denison concludes the NCAC regular season, though the Tigers have a non-conference tilt at Transylvania scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m., before preparing for the league tournament, which begins with the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Locations will be determined when the final seeding is set.