The Tigers scored the game-tying goal after setting up for this penalty corner play.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers don't necessarily own the North Coast Athletic Conference Field Hockey Tournament, but it sometimes seems that way. Facing a stern challenge from the visiting College of Wooster Fighting Scots, the Tigers rallied for a 3-2 win on their home turf in Edwards-Maurer Field to advance to Saturday's championship game against Kenyon College.
The Tigers, the No. 1 seed in the NCAC Tournament for the third straight year after winning the conference's regular season championship, improved to 14-4 overall with the win. Wooster, the No. 4 seed after finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the regular season race, dropped to 13-6 overall. It was the third straight year that Wittenberg had defeated the Scots in Springfield in the NCAC Tournament.
Just five minutes into the game, Wooster got on the board first with a goal on a penalty stroke. That was answered approximately seven minutes later by Tiger sophomore forward Katy Barrett, who scored off an assist from senior midfielder Blair Ufer. The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw by halftime, with most of the action taking place in the midfield.
The second half was a different story, as Wittenberg pressured the Wooster for much of the 35 minutes. Still, the Scots took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Miranda Leickly about five minutes into the half. But the Tigers stepped up to the challenge, scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals just eight minutes apart off a pair of penalty corner plays. The game-tying score came off the stick of sophomore midfielder Holly McHugh, who knocked in a deflected ball after a penalty corner play broke down. The game-winner came courtesy of Ufer, who found the back of the cage as part of the penalty corner play, with senior defender Carrie Happ picking up the assist.
The championship game is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday at Edwards-Maurer Field. The Tigers have won the tournament in each of the first two years of its existence, including last year when Wittenberg captured a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory over Wooster. Kenyon, the No. 2 seed, advanced to the title game with a 3-0 home win over Oberlin on Wednesday. Wittenberg and Kenyon split their two meetings during the 2004 regular season, with Wittenberg winning the game in Springfield by a 4-0 score.