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The 2005 Wittenberg University men's lacrosse team didn't enjoy the season opener it had hoped for on Tuesday, but perhaps it's something to build on. On a cold, snowy evening, the Tigers dropped an 11-7 decision to NCAA Division I Bellarmine at Cincinnati Mariemont High School.
The teams were tied at two after the first period, but Bellarmine outscored the Wittenberg 4-2 and 3-1 in the second and third quarters to establish a four-goal lead it would never relinquish.
Wittenberg's offense was spread around, as six different players, none with more than one season of collegiate experience, accounted for the seven goals. Sophomore Jay Shimko (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) led with the first two Tiger goals, followed by sophomore Sammy Hong (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), junior Bryan Arnold (Columbus, Ohio/Dublin Scioto), freshman James Mather (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township), freshman Patrick Adrian (Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown) and freshman Mike Coursault (St. Louis, Mo./C.B.C.).
In goal, junior Kevin Adams (Medina, Ohio/Medina) made his first start and was credited with 14 saves. He faced a total of 25 shots from Bellarmine, compared to 24 shots by Wittenberg. Also of note was the play of junior Mike Morrell (Ballwin, Mo./C.B.C.), who won 12-of-21 faceoffs.
Next up for Wittenberg is a trip to Pennsylvania on Saturday for a game against NAIA scholarship program St. Vincent, a 12-7 winner over the Tigers a year ago in Springfield.