Wittenberg Men's Lacrosse Earns First-Ever NCAA Division III Tournament Berth

Jeff Capella '10 and his teammates have new life with the program's first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament bid.

Springfield, Ohio — For the first time ever, there will be postseason play for the Wittenberg University men's lacrosse team, which earned the opportunity to compete in the 2010 NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Tigers, who finished the regular season as co-champions of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), will travel to Roanoke College for a first-round game against the fifth-ranked Maroons at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 12. Wittenberg brings records of 10-4 overall and 4-1 in the NCAC into the national competition, while Roanoke enters the postseason with a mark of 16-2 after winning the regular season and tournament titles in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

The winner of the first-round game earns a trip to third-ranked Gettysburg on Saturday, May 15. The Bullets, owner of a 15-2 overall record, were awarded a first-round bye.

After starting the season 2-2, the Tigers reeled off six straight victories, culminated by a 9-8 overtime win over then-ninth ranked NCAC rival Denison on April 13. Wittenberg ended the season 2-2, capped by a loss to NCAC rival Ohio Wesleyan on May 5 that forced the Tigers to share the conference championship.

Individually, the Tigers are paced on offense by Matt Lord, class of 2011 from Pickerington, Ohio, who is one goal shy of the school record with an NCAC-best 41 this season. He also has 11 assists for 52 total points, which ranks third in the conference. Four other student-athletes have at least 25 points on the season, led by Mitch Cohagan, class of 2011 from Pickerington, Ohio, with 20 goals and 10 assists.

Defensively, the key is the goalkeeping duo of Mark DeOliveira, class of 2011 from East Hanover, NJ, and Spencer Baker, class of 2012 from Worthington, Ohio. Wittenberg goalkeepers entered the final week of the regular season with the best goals against average (6.74) and saves percentage (.593) in the NCAC. DeOliveira has made eight starts and 10 total appearances in 2010, compared to six starts and eight total appearances for Baker.

The Tigers allowed seven goals per game, in part thanks to fine work by midfielders Danny Johnson, class of 2011 from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Michael Cocking, class of 2012 from St. Louis, Mo., with 51 and 46 ground balls, respectively. A host of defenders performed well in 2010, including Dan Gaines, class of 2011 from Columbus, Ohio, who leads the team with 13 caused turnovers, and Ryan Spain, class of 2011 from Concord, NH, who added 20 ground balls.

Written by: Ryan Maurer
Photo by: Erin Pence