GAMBIER, Ohio — The Wittenberg field hockey team, fresh off a win over Wooster to even the season series and claim second place, took a shot at climbing to the top rung of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) ladder and succeeded, shutting out former league leader Kenyon 3-0 on Tuesday.
The Tigers, 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the NCAC, are ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region according to fieldhockeycorner.com, and now have beaten fifth-ranked Wooster and sixth-ranked Kenyon in the last week. The top teams in the region are Rhodes, DePauw and Centre, successively.
It was the first meeting of the Tigers and the Ladies this season, and it started quickly for Wittenberg. Within 10 minutes the game-winning goal was on the board when senior forward Boo Vernon (Lake Bluff, Ill./Cushing Academy) sent a long pass into the circle for fellow senior Tori Casanta (Mason, Ohio/Cor Jesu), who tapped it in to make it a 1-0 affair.
Scoring was quiet throughout the remainder of the first half, but six minutes into the second, Vernon picked up her second assist of the game with another long pass, this time a cross to junior Elizabeth Dwyer (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue).
Casanta scored again later in the period, collecting her own rebound and putting it back for the third and final score.
Tiger goalkeeper Jenny Schaafsma (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) made nine saves, including six in the first half, in pitching the shutout. Kenyon had success in limiting Wittenberg's offensive opportunities, but could not punch past Schaafsma, even with 10 penalty corners.
The Tigers return home to Springfield for a Thursday, Oct. 7, matchup with Ohio Wesleyan at 4:30 p.m. at Edwards-Maurer Field before an eight-day layoff that concludes at 4:30 p.m. at Denison on Friday, Oct. 15.
John Strawn '07