SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers are now officially off to the best start in the modern of the men's lacrosse program after taking care of visiting Washington & Jefferson, 15-6, in the cold rain at Edwards-Maurer Field.
The Tigers are now 4-1 on the season, bettering the previous best start of 3-1 in 1985, 1993, 1996, 2000 and 2007. The Presidents dropped to 3-3 after the defeat.
Leading the way was sophomore Jeff Capella (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), who finished with three goals and an assist. Capella holds the team lead for points after his excellent game, with 19. Eight other Tigers got on the board in the contest, including sophomore midfielder Danny Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill). He contributed one goal, one assist, and four groundballs to the effort.
The Tigers picked up 33 groundballs, compared to the Presidents' 21, in an well-rounded effort, featuring stiff defense and pressurized offense. The Tigers also capitalized on all four extra man opportunities. Three Wittenberg goalies saw time in front of the net, combining for 11 saves. Freshman netminder Mark DeOliveira (East Hanover, NJ/East Hanover) stopped six shots, while freshman Phil Quist (Brooklyn, NY/Cheshire Academy) made five saves, and senior Andy Shively (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) saw time as well.