GRANVILLE, Ohio – Things started off well enough for the Wittenberg men's lacrosse team in its upset bid of 13th-ranked Denison, but the Big Red took control over the final three quarters en route to a 12-4 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) victory.
The win moved Denison to 10-2 overall and 5-0 in the NCAC, while Wittenberg fell to 7-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference. The Tigers likely need to win both of their remaining games – against DePauw and Ohio Wesleyan – to qualify for the first-ever NCAC Tournament, which includes just four teams.
Injuries shortened the playing rotation for Head Coach George Harris, who saw his team outshot by a whopping 49-13 in the game, including 15-3 over the first 15 minutes. Despite the disparity, the Tigers held a 3-2 edge at the end of the first quarter as all three of their attempts found the back of the Big Red net.
Over the final three quarters, however, Denison held the Tigers to just one second-quarter goal who scoring 10 times against Wittenberg sophomore goalkeeper Jesse Langer (New York, N.Y./Salisbury School), who was credited with 15 saves in a fine performance.
Junior Jordan Shoger (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights), freshman Thomas Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln), senior Alex Previte (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and sophomore Ryan Spitzer (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) scored the Wittenberg goals. Freshman Andrew Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) added the Tigers' lone assist.
Previte, Langer and junior Hunter Bastian (Knoxville, Tenn./Horace Greeley) shared game honors with three ground balls each, while sophomore Nick Bergenty (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) contributed two caused turnovers.