Kelly McLean
GAMBIER, Ohio — In every season, there comes a turning point, a gut-check of sorts that reveals a team's future direction. It is possible that the Wittenberg Tigers encountered just such an inflection point at Kenyon. If so, the Tigers' direction may be a positive one after they rallied for a 2-1 win over their North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rivals.
The win moved the Tigers, who had six freshmen in the starting lineup a year after winning the league with an 11-1 record, to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the NCAC. Kenyon fell to 2-7 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
Wittenberg's biggest issue so far in 2011 is a lack of offense, so after the Ladies took a 1-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, the Tigers were faced with an uphill climb they haven't been able to make in previous losses. This time, however, the Tigers bounced back with a pair of goals in the 43rd minute, which Wittenberg's stellar defensive unit made stand up despite a flurry of scoring opportunities for Kenyon.
At the 42:11 mark, freshman Audrey Phibbs (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) tied the game with an unassisted goal. That was followed a mere 41 seconds later by what turned out to be the winning goal by senior Elizabeth Dwyer (St. Louis, Mo./LaDue), off a feed from freshman Kelly McLean (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook South).
Senior goalkeeper Jenny Schaafsma (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) was credited with eight saves, while sophomore Mallory Skrobot (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) added a game-saving defensive stop.
Kenyon outshot its visitors by a 21-16 margin and attempted one more penalty corner in the game.