Tori Casanta
WOOSTER, Ohio - A late goal for the Tiger field hockey team was not enough as they saw their season come to an end with a 3-2 loss at the College of Wooster in the NCAC Semifinals. Sophomore forward Tori Casanta (Mason, Ohio/Cor Jesu Academy) punched in a goal in the 61st minute on an assist from Marisa Myers (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) to cut the deficit to one, but WIttenberg could not complete the rally.
The first 35 minutes of play were controlled by the home side, as Wooster outshot Wittenberg 18-5. However, freshman goalkeeper Alyssa Ashbaugh (Gahanna, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) was up to the task, coming up with 10 saves to keep the Tigers in the contest. On the day, Ashbaugh finished with 14 saves.
Trailing 1-0 after eight minutes, sophomore Kelley Herde (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) drew the Tigers level with an unassisted tally in the 17th minute. The Scots bounced back with a goal of their own three minutes later, then built a 3-1 margin four minutes into the second half. From there, Wittenberg fought to keep their season alive, but the Casanta goal would not be enough. On the bright side, the goal was Casanta's 25th of the season, which moved her into second all-time in the Wittenberg history.
With the loss, the Tigers wrap up their season with an 11-8 overall mark and a 7-5 record in NCAC play after making their seventh consecutive NCAC tournament. Wittenberg and Wooster are the only two NCAC teams to reach the conference tournament in every year of its existence. Senior defender Beth Vonderbrink (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) and sophomore defender Meredith Price (Highland Park, Ill./North Shore Country Day) were both selected to represent Wittenberg on the all-tournament team.
Written By: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant