SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg men's lacrosse team sent out four seniors in style with a 17-6 victory over visiting DePauw on Wednesday at Edwards-Maurer Field to improve to 10-3 overall and 4-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Playing in their final regular season home game, the Tigers honored seniors Hunter Bastian (Knoxville, Tenn./Horace Greeley), Jack Bornhofen (Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh), Jacob Gilbert (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), and Jordan Shoger (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) in a pregame ceremony, complete with flowers for each of their mothers.
After the formalities, Wittenberg got down to business. The home team opened up a 4-1 lead in the first 15 minutes after goals by sophomore Thomas Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln), Bornhofen, sophomore TJ Smith (Atlanta, Ga./The Marist School) and Shoger, with assists from junior Sean Kelleher (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), Thomas Fuss and junior Ryan Spitzer (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson).
Wittenberg expanded its lead in the second quarter by outscoring DePauw 7-2, including the last five of the quarter to set up a nine-goal run that included a 4-0 third-quarter advantage.
DePauw regrouped from the hosts' run to score three goals in the fourth quarter against Wittenberg's two, but the damage was done and the home Tigers cruised to a win.
The final scoring figures included 13 different Wittenberg players with goals and 14 overall with points. Thomas Fuss led all players with three goals and one assist for four total points, followed by Bornhofen with one goal and two assists. Shoger counted two goals in his final line, as did freshman Zach Shy (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), while Smith, freshman Creighton Stephens (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) and Spitzer each finished with one goal and one assist. Kelleher rounded out the players with multiple points on two assists.
Sophomore Andrew Fuss (New Albany, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln), freshman David Strahm (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), junior Will Stocker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), sophomore Jeff Sherman (Atkinson, NH/New Hampton School), freshman Brent Whitehead (Dubiln, Ohio/Coffman) and junior Brett Wilson (Lenexa, Kan./St. James Academy) all contributed one goal. Strahm, Stephens and Wilson all collected their first goals of the season.
The tough defensive play at the other end of the field cannot be overstated. The starting unit of junior Riley Boehm (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), Gilbert, junior John Haeling (Briarcliff, N.Y./Briarcliff), junior Nick Bergenty (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and Bastian all helped the Tigers clamp down on the visitors.
In front of the net, junior starter Jay Dolan (Andover, Mass./Phillips Andover) made one save against three goals to collect the goalkeeping victory. He was relieved after one quarter by freshman Aaron Blossey (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River) who posted one save across the second and third quarters, without allowing a goal, and freshman Nick Gregory (Mukilteo, Wash./Kamiak) finished it off with one save against three goals in the fourth quarter.
Wittenberg hits the road for its final regular season engagement, a 1 p.m. game at Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, April 19.
John Strawn '07