Granville, Ohio – The Wittenberg University field hockey team saw its 2018 season come to a close on Wednesday (10/31) afternoon in the semifinal round of the NCAC Tournament with a 3-0 loss at top-seeded Denison.
After struggling through the early portion of the season, the Tigers turned it on in late October, winning five of their last six regular season conference games to earn the fourth seed in the NCAC Tournament with a 7-7 mark against league foes. Overall, Wittenberg finished the 2018 campaign with final record of 7-10, highlighted by ending the regular season on a three-game winning streak with victories against Kenyon, 1-0, DePauw, 2-1, and Ohio Wesleyan, 2-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wittenberg and Denison were stuck in a defensive struggle for the majority of the first half, with the Big Red finally finding the back of the cage in the 33rd minute with an unassisted goal off the stick of Charlotte Happel.
DU then added two early second-half goals from Michelle Kabaira and Charlotte Godfrey to earn the 3-0 win over Wittenberg and advance to the tournament championship game this Saturday.
BY THE NUMBERS
Despite allowing three goals, Wittenberg senior goalie Allie Purvis had a solid showing in her final collegiate match with eight total saves. In addition, sophomore Megan Niswonger led the offensive attack on the afternoon with three shots, which included one on target.
Denison held a 26-5 edge over Wittenberg in the shot column and also attempted 10 total penalty corner chances compared to four for the Tigers.