Adam Horrocks

The Wittenberg men's soccer team appeared to have turned the corner, winning three straight games heading into the NCAC schedule. But when the conference includes four teams ranked in the top 10 in the region and three ranked among the top 20 in the nation, nothing is ever as it appears.

On Saturday, the Tigers were defeated 5-2 by visiting Wooster in their NCAC opener. Sophomore Jesse King (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) got the Tigers on the board in the first half to knot the score at 1-1 and then freshman Sebastian Missura (Quito, Ecuador/American School) did the same in the second half to get things square at 2-2. But Wooster pulled away with three goals late in the game, despite 10 saves by freshman goalkeeper Adam Horrocks (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes).

On Wednesday, the Tigers were back to playing tense, one-goal games, but this time the score went against them as the 12th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan Bishops scored a 1-0 overtime win at home. Horrocks made five saves in the game, but the Tigers couldn't generate enough offense against the 2002 NCAA Division III semifinalists and five-time defending NCAC tournament champions.

The Tigers will have a chance to regroup over the next week as some of the other top challengers in the conference square off against one another and Wittenberg takes on Kenyon on Saturday, Earlham next Wednesday and Hiram next Saturday. The first two games are scheduled to be played at Bill Edwards Field, with the Hiram contest to be played on the road.