SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers just couldn't get much going Wednesday on their home turf at Edwards-Maurer Field, and by game's end they were looking at the short end of a 5-1 score against the Kenyon College Ladies.
The Tigers, who have qualified for the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament in each of the five years it has been in existence, saw their season come to an end in the semifinals for a second straight year. Wittenberg's final 2006 record was 11-7 overall after a 9-3 mark in the NCAC regular season earned the Tigers second place in the final standings.
Kenyon, which improved to 16-5 overall after posting an 8-4 record in the NCAC regular season, started fast and kept up the pressure for most of the game. Caroline Graham scored twice for the Ladies in the first half as Kenyon outshot Wittenberg 10-1 in the opening 35 minutes.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, the Ladies had pushed the lead to 4-0 on a goal off a penalty corner play and a goal on a penalty stroke. The Tigers responded just over a minute after the penalty stroke as junior Caroline Mason (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) picked up the ball near midfield and weaved her way through several defenders and the Kenyon goalkeeper for a nifty goal. However, the Ladies capped the scoring with 15 minutes left in the game and controlled much of the action in the closing minutes despite attempts by Wittenberg to push the ball forward.
Kenyon was given a 19-7 advantage in total shots, while Wittenberg freshman goalkeeper Sarah Umberger (Concord, NH/Derryfield School) finished with nine saves, compared to just two for the Ladies. In addition, sophomore Beth Vonderbrink (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) notched her team-leading 11th defensive save.
On Saturday, the NCAC All-Tournament team was announced. Senior Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and junior Alison Voigt (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) were selected from Wittenberg.