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GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers hit the road to open the 2006 North Coast Athletic Conference campaign, and the result was a disappointment as perennial title contender Denison captured a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
The Tigers dropped below the .500 mark again at 4-5-1 overall. More importantly, Wittenberg starts 0-1 in the rugged NCAC. Denison, a year after tying Wittenberg but losing out on the fourth and final NCAC Tournament spot on tiebreaker criteria, improved to 4-3-1 overall and 1-0 in the league.
After a scoreless first half, the Big Red scored twice in an 11-minute span. Wittenberg responded with a penalty kick goal by sophomore Justin Jenkins (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) in the 88th minute, but the Tigers were unable to get the equalizer.
The stats show a physical game, with 44 fouls called between the two teams and six yellow cards dished out (four for Wittenberg). The first half featured just four shots, but the second half included 20 as the action opened up on a damp, cool fall evening. Wittenberg junior Ben McAnnis-Entenman (Portland, Ore./Cleveland) started in goal and made three saves. Senior Adam Horrocks (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) replaced him at halftime and finished with two saves.