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RICHMOND, Ind. - The Wittenberg Tigers may be catching fire at just the right time. The Tigers won their third straight North Coast Athletic Conference game - this time by a 2-1 margin over host Earlham College - to move into position to reach their second straight NCAC Tournament.
Just four teams make the tournament, which will be held for a seventh consecutive year in 2006. Wittenberg, which has rallied from a 1-3-1 start to the conference slate, caps the regular season with a trip to Allegheny on Saturday with a berth in the postseason on the line. The Tigers, who are now 8-7-2 overall and 4-3-1 in the NCAC, must beat the Gators and hope that Denison defeats Wooster or Wabash beats Oberlin.
Wittenberg moved from sixth place to fifth in the NCAC standings Wednesday thanks to a couple of improbable goal-scorers. Freshman Brian Glenn (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) opened the scoring 3:30 into the second half after the two teams had played to a standoff in the opening 45 minutes. It was his first goal in 14 games of his inaugural collegiate campaign.
Sophomore Anthony Ianiro (Mayfield Heights, Ohio/University School) provided a much-needed insurance goal in the 64th minute. Like Glenn, it was Ianiro's first visit to the scoring column this season.
The two successful offensive rushes were key because Earlham struck back in the 69th minute to draw within one. However, junior Ben McAnnis Entenman (Portland, Ore./Cleveland) continued his stellar play, turning away four shots, and the Tiger defense held up for a clutch victory.
Wittenberg held a 14-5 edge in total shots and a 7-1 advantage in corner kick opportunities.