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DANVILLE, Ky. - The Wittenberg Tigers were hoping to make a statement at the Centre College Adidas Invitational, a competition that included three other top-quality NCAA Division III teams. After two losses in as many days, the Tigers may not have made the desired statement, but they showed without question that they can compete very well with national powerhouse programs.
After losing in overtime on Friday to unbeaten Emory, the Tigers fell 2-0 to the host squad on Saturday. The losses dropped Wittenberg to 4-2-1 overall on the season, heading into a nonconference match-up on Tuesday at Cedarville.
For the second straight game, the Tigers were credited with more shots in the game than the eventual victors. This time, the margin was 13-11, including five shots by junior forward Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter). Four of those were on goal, but Centre's goalkeeper came up with seven saves to keep the Tigers scoreless.
At the other end of the field, Wittenberg senior goalkeeper Ben McAnnis-Entenman (Portland, Ore./Cleveland) recorded four saves, but Centre pushed a pair of shots past him. The Colonels' first goal came just 1:40 into the game, and the final tally came just minutes before the final horn in the second half.
The key sequence in the game was in the final minutes as Wittenberg junior Justin Jenkins (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) missed a penalty kick with the Tigers trailing by one. The Colonels came right back and scored as the Tigers were unable to get organized on defense. The missed penalty kick capped a frustrating second half that included two other shots that hit off the post.