The Wittenberg University field hockey team played in the NCAA Division III Tournament for a third straight year in 2004, falling last Saturday in second-round action at fifth-ranked William Smith College, 5-2. The loss closed out the Tigers' season as 15-5 overall after winning the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season with a 9-3 record.
The Tigers were making their seventh NCAA appearance (1994, '95, '97, '98, 2002, '03, '04), but they remain without a national tourney victory.
In the loss to William Smith, the Tigers fell behind 1-0 just two minutes into the game, but junior forward Julia Wickham (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) responded with a goal at the 6:31 mark of the first half, her 12th of the season. The assist went to sophomore forward Katy Barrett (Powell, Ohio/Watterson).
The rest of the first half was all William Smith as the Herons, host of the five-team regional tournament bracket, outshot the Tigers 26-2 and scored two more goals. The second half didn't start much better as the Herons scored a goal less than two minutes in, before senior midfielder Blair Ufer (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) scored the final goal of her illustrious collegiate career at the 60:35 mark, her team-best 18th of the 2004 season. William Smith added one final score for the final margin of 5-2.
Freshman goalkeeper Nicole Irvin (Gettysburg, Pa./Littlestown) made 14 saves for the Tigers.