SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers took care of business in dramatic fashion Saturday, squeezing past the Oberlin Yeowomen in overtime, 2-1. With the win, the Tigers staked their claim to first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season race for the third straight year with a 9-3 record.

There were many stars in this team game, but three in particular stood out for the Tigers as they also earned home field advantage for the NCAC Tournament for a third straight year. In Wednesday's semifinal game, Wittenberg will host Wooster in a re-match of last year's 1-0 overtime win in the NCAC Championship game.

The first star was freshman goalkeeper Nicole Irvin, who recorded a season-high 14 saves to preserve the victory. The second star was senior defender Ashley Smith, who had two defensive saves in a tense, scoreless second half. The third star was senior midfielder Blair Ufer, who scored both goals. The first one was in the first half, but Oberlin got the equalizer before halftime. Ten minutes into overtime, Ufer scored the game-winner after carrying the ball forward and attempting a shot. Her rebound shot beat the Oberlin netminder and sent the Tigers home happy.

Wittenberg is currently riding a three-year home winning streak. They put that streak on the line Sunday in a game against NAIA scholarship program Lindenwood.