ANNVILLE, Pa. - The Wittenberg Tigers were unable to write a fairy tale ending to their fine 2009 season, dropping a first round NCAA Division III Tournament game at Lebanon Valley by a score of 9-0.
Wittenberg was making its eighth NCAA Division III Tournament, and for the eighth straight time the Tigers lost in the first round. Seventh-ranked Lebanon Valley improved to 18-3 and advanced to the second round for the fourth straight year. The Dutchman will take on eighth-ranked Rowan, which had a first round bye, while Wittenberg wrapped up its season at 12-6 after finishing in a first-place tie with Wooster atop the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season standings with a 10-2 record.
The Dutchmen struck early, scoring three goals in the first 16 minutes, and often, adding six more tallies in a second-half barrage. For the game, Lebanon Valley finished with an overwhelming 32-4 advantage in shots and a 13-3 edge in penalty corners. If not for the fine play of sophomore goalkeeper Jenny Schaafsma (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids), who was credited with a career-high 15 saves, and the 13th defensive save of the season from junior Kelley Herde (Louisville, Ky./Assumption), the final result might have been the first double-digit loss by a Wittenberg team since a 10-0 defeat by Ohio State in 1979.
Offensively, all four Wittenberg shots were credited to junior Boo Vernon (Lake Bluff, Ill./Cushing Academy).