Wittenberg Picks Up Big Road Win Over Wabash

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. - Four games and only one goal. It had to happen sometime, and the Wittenberg Tigers chose Wednesday's road trip to Wabash College to explode offensively, garnering a 7-1 win in the process. It was the largest scoring output for the Tigers since Oct. 6, 2001, and an 11-0 shellacking of Oberlin.

The win was key for the Tigers, who improved to 7-5-5 overall and 4-2-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, in the process setting up a winner-take-all scenario back home at Edwards-Maurer Field on Saturday against Wooster. Only four teams gain entrance into the annual four-team NCAC Tournament, and Wittenberg remains one of six teams vying for that opportunity.

The win over Wabash was especially sweet because the Tigers' hopes for the 2004 NCAC Tournament were dealt a serious blow by the Little Giants, who escaped Springfield with a 1-0 double overtime win on an own goal a year ago. This time, after the two teams traded first-half goals, the Tigers made sure that no defensive missteps would do them in, striking for six unanswered scores, including an own goal of Wabash's own.

Wittenberg opened the scoring on a penalty kick conversion just 5:48 into the game by freshman midfielder Matt Borland, the team's leading scorer. After Wabash, which fell to 5-12 overall and 2-6 in the NCAC, tied it four minutes later, the goals parade started for the Tigers as freshman Mike Conley scored an unassisted goal and freshman Shane Price added a tally off a feed from junior Eduardo Missura to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission.

In the second half, the Tigers poured it on with four goals. Borland scored 13 minutes in off a corner kick by junior Brian Mutton, and that was followed barely two minutes later by an own goal against the Little Giants. Rounding things out, the Tigers picked up late goals from junior Levi Van Reeth and Missura. Freshman defender Anthony Cain was credited with the assist on Van Reeth's goal, while Missura's score was unassisted.

Wittenberg outshot its host 25-9 for the game, picking up five saves from junior goalkeeper Adam Horrocks before he gave way to sophomore Ben McAnnis-Entenman, who made one save in the final 21 minutes.