SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg field hockey team improved to 5-5 overall and 4-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference with a smooth 7-0 win over Earlham on Saturday.

The Tigers defended home turf by denying Earlham any opportunities at the cage, outshooting the visitors 49-0.

The defensive dominance led to an offensive onslaught, led by nine shots from junior Paige Vanerstrom (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny). She topped not only the shooting column, but split the top spot in the scoring column as well, sharing the lead of two goals with freshman Carlijn van den Berg (Zwolle, The Netherlands/Thorbecke), who shot the ball six times.

The other three goals were spread between seniors Kim Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard), Megan Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard) and Kelly McLean (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook South).

McLean and Megan Loofbourrow also tallied an assist in the game, as did freshman Audrey Coler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) and senior Beth Warning (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame).

Freshman Maddie Goelz (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and sophomore Michelle Murray (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) also did tremendous work on the field to help pressure Earlham and set up scoring opportunities.

Wittenberg now heads into a week-long layoff that will end on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. when the team visits DePauw to renew the Tiger rivalry.

John Strawn '07