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MEADVILLE, Pa. - At the start of the week, the Wittenberg Tigers knew they needed to win two games and then get some help to reach a second consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. After a road victory over Earlham on Wednesday and some of the aforementioned help, the Tigers found themselves in perfect position Saturday at Allegheny, but they couldn't close the deal in a 2-1 double-overtime loss.
Wittenberg closed the 2006 season with records of 8-8-2 overall and 4-4-1 in the NCAC. The loss dropped the Tigers back to sixth place in the final conference standings. Allegheny, which had lost to Hiram earlier in the week, snuck into the fourth position in the conference tournament with the victory combined with Denison's defeat of Wooster later in the evening.
Junior Joe Zeller (Springfield, Ohio/North) got the Tigers off to a strong enough start as he found the back of the net just 1:27 into the game. But Allegheny responded immediately, scoring less than two minutes later. That would be all the scoring until the second overtime period of what was a wide open game despite the cold temperatures, high winds and rainy conditions.
Junior goalkeeper Ben McAnnis-Entenman (Portland, Ore./Cleveland) recorded nine saves in the game as Allegheny was credited with a deceiving 25 shots. While Wittenberg was marked for just nine shots, the Tigers had plenty of quality scoring chances. The Gators held a 6-5 edge in corner kick opportunities.