DELAWARE, Ohio – The Wittenberg field hockey team pulled off an overtime victory at Ohio Wesleyan, winning in the 79th minute to improve to 3-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference and 4-5 overall.
Senior Kim Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard) buried a shot into the cage nine minutes into overtime, averting a penalty shoot-out by following her own shot off of a penalty corner.
Ohio Wesleyan knotted the score at 4-4 with a goal just 38 seconds from the end of regulation, the third score between the two teams over the last seven minutes of the game, punctuating a frenetic second half that featured 18 combined shots and 12 corners.
All the second-half scoring was contained in that single seven-minute stretch, in contrast to the first period, with five combined goals spread throughout the 35 minutes.
The Battling Bishops struck first, scoring after a corner 13 minutes in. Wittenberg evened the contest less than a minute later as senior Casey Fry (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea) put back a rebound, and senior Megan Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard) followed shortly thereafter by a go-ahead tip-in of a shot by freshman Carlijn van den Berg (Zwolle, The Netherlands/Thorbecke), who collected an assist on the play.
Ohio Wesleyan scored eight minutes later, but the Tigers took a 3-2 lead into the break after freshman Audrey Coler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) converted a senior Beth Warning (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) pass into a goal.
In the second half, the teams played 27 minutes before either got into the cage. Ohio Wesleyan tied the game in the 63rd minute, but the Tigers answered as Warning scored off an assist by Megan Loofbourrow. Leading 4-3 with less than two minutes to go, the Tigers appeared to have the game locked up.
The Bishops had other plans, scoring with 38 seconds remaining to force the extra period, where Kim Loofbourrow initiated her heroics to secure the victory.
Defensively, freshman Zara Tickner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) came through in the clutch with a defensive save in the 13th minute.
van den Berg finished the game with seven shots to lead the Tigers on top of her one assist. Megan Loofbourrow had five shots and shared the team lead in scoring with Beth Warning, each with one goal and one assist.
Sophomore goalkeeper Laura Jansing (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) played every minute in the cage and stopped six shots.
The Tigers host Earlham in their next action, getting started at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, at Edwards-Maurer Field at home in Springfield.
John Strawn '07