The Wittenberg University field hockey team made a triumphant return to its customary position atop the North Coast Athletic Conference standings in 2000. A year after the squad slipped to 10-9 overall and 6-6 in the NCAC, the Tigers put together a terrific 15-4 campaign.
The Wittenberg Tigers worked their way back onto the national field hockey map this fall, and it showed in the respect individual players and coaches received in postseason awards balloting.
The Wittenberg University field hockey team ended its 2000 season with one of its best records ever, and the Tigers did it in dramatic fashion. Participating in the KIT/NCAC Regional Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. over the weekend, Wittenberg won a pair of thrilling double overtime affairs against ranked opponents DePauw and Denison.
The Tigers held their destiny in their own hands, but they were unable to lock up an outright NCAC championship, falling 3-0 to red-hot Wooster - winner of seven straight - in a conference match on Sunday.
The Tigers broke out again on offense after dropping their first North Coast Athletic Conference game to Denison the previous week, exploding for victories of 6-0 over Kenyon and 5-0 over Earlham, both at home. Wittenberg has now recorded five NCAC shutouts in nine outings this season, a testament to a strong defensive team effort that didn¹t allow the Quakers but a single weak shot in the senior night victory on Oct. 14.
The field hockey team finally broke into the national polls following a 4-1 victory over Wooster on Sept. 24, and the Tigers followed that up with a 2-0 shutout at Earlham on Saturday.
The Tigers took a huge step toward capturing the North Coast Athletic Conference title Sunday, handily defeating the visiting College of Wooster Fighting Scots, 4-1, at Edwards-Maurer Field. Wittenberg, which bounced back extemely well from its first defeat of the season last Sunday against heading into this week's action with a perfect 5-0 record.nationally ranked Division II power Mercyhurst, is alone in first place in the NCAC.
The field hockey team ran its impressive season-opening winning streak to six on Friday with a fourth consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference victory over visiting Oberlin, 3-0, before finally cooling off with a loss on Sunday to nationally ranked Mercyhurst, 3-1.
The field hockey team ran its impressive season-opening winning streak to five Sunday with a 2-1 victory over NCAC rival Denison in Granville. Juniors Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) and Breinne Esser (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) had goals for the first-place Tigers. The Big Red was a preseason Top-20 team in the coaches poll, as was the Tigers' Saturday afternoon victim, visiting DePauw.
The field hockey team got off to a tremendous start under first-year coach Marianne Beshara. On Friday, the Tigers won their home opener 4-1 against Slippery Rock. Then on Saturday, Wittenberg continued its strong early-season play with a victory over NCAC rival Oberlin 2-1 in overtime. Senior Kelly McMullen (East Amherst, NY/The Nichols School) scored three times in the two games, including the game-winner at Oberlin.