SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - On the wider NCAA Division III landscape, the result of Saturday's dramatic 11-10 Wittenberg win over Wooster will hardly make a ripple. But for a program in search of an identity, the come-from-behind victory had the feel of something momentous - hence the dogpile of Red & White jerseys that developed following the final horn.
The win evened Wittenberg's record at 6-6 overall and, more importantly, 2-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). For the first time since 2004, the Tigers will finish a season with more than one win in the rugged NCAC and will have a win over a team with at least 10 wins on its resume. Wooster dropped to 10-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
Fittingly, the star on Senior Day was goalkeeper Andy Shively (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who came up with seven fourth-quarter saves in his first start of the 2008 season. His 14-save performance was capped by three saves in the final minute as the Tigers fended off a man-up opportunity.
Offensively, the Tigers picked up goals from eight different players and assists from four. Leading the charge was sophomore Jeff Capella (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) with two goals and two assists, sophomore Ted Winders (Western Spring, Ill./Lyons Township) with one goal and two assists and freshman Mitch Cohagan (Pickerington, Ohio/North) with two goals and one assist.
Those players set the table for the game-winning goal from sophomore Mike Reinberg (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit), who found the back of the net with 5:22 remaining in the fourth quarter off a feed from senior Brandon Hulett (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson). That capped a three-goal flurry in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, while the Tiger defense shut out Wooster over the final 15 minutes.
Adding suspense to the scene was the fact that the clock wasn't operating correctly, so time was kept on the field with occasional announcements made to keep the crowd informed.
The Tigers held a 38-34 advantage in total shots and a 43-38 edge in ground balls.
Wittenberg shoots for the first winning season in nearly a decade Wednesday against visiting Tri-State. The game was re-scheduled from Feb. 27 due to unplayable field conditions.