Tigers Clinch NCAC Tournament Spot With Win Over DePauw

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg women's soccer team took another significant step toward their second North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season championship with a 2-1 victory over visiting DePauw.

The win kept Wittenberg perfect in six games on its home turf, and it clinched a berth in the upcoming four-team NCAC Tournament. At 6-0-1 in the NCAC, the Tigers remained atop the table with 19 points, one shy of the most in program history (20 in 2007, Wittenberg's first NCAC regular season title).

Wittenberg, which improved to 10-3-3 overall and is on a 9-1-1 run since the fifth game of the season, is now guaranteed of hosting at least one NCAC Tournament game. The Tigers can assure themselves of hosting rights in the championship game as well with a win against Kenyon in a game scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, also at Wittenberg's Edwards-Maurer Field.

It took several minutes for the Wittenberg offense to get warmed up, but once in gear the Tigers put together several good looks at the DePauw net, nearly scoring twice off the foot of senior Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) in their first five shots. One attempt in the first 20 minutes sailed just high and wide, and another resulted in a point blank save by DePauw's Emma Cooper.

DePauw countered in the 23rd minute and stunned the league-leaders with the first goal of the game, that coming off the foot of Angela Cotherman from Megann Lear. But Wittenberg continued to control much of the play even after the score, and in the 41st minute, sophomore Chelsey Marcum (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) lined up a free kick from 40 yards out and found junior Lindsay Janmey (Hinckley, Ohio/Highland), who headed the ball into the goal to even the score at 1-1.

Into and out of halftime, both teams alternately controlled the ball and had opportunities, but it was Wittenberg that found the net in the 65th minute. Approaching the goal from the middle, freshman Kaylee Gialamas (Willoughby, Ohio/Hawken) beat the keeper and passed off to her right for senior Grace Winzeler (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), who poked it past one defender and in.

From there, the Tiger backline did what they have done so well all season. Backed by five saves from senior Cassie Lythjohan (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville), the starting quartet of senior Kelly Brothers (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome), senior Lauren McMahon (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline), sophomore Mary Clare Yerke (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and freshman Mackenzie Bolon (Columbus, Ohio/Bexley) limited DePauw to just nine scoring opportunities in the game.