|
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Looking at a highly-touted matchup between two of the top three teams in the Great Lakes region, not much seprated the two squads on paper. Ultimately, the difference-maker for the Tigers would be the usual suspect, senior Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter), who provided the first strike in a critical non-conference 2-0 victory for Wittenberg over Capital.
The home-standing Tigers challenged the visitors from the opening whistle, taking numerous chances down the wings with striker Shane Price (Minford, Ohio/Minford). It would be right down the middle, however, where the Tigers would find their first goal in the 19th minute, when Borland freed himself with a creative touch, only to fire from 30 yards, just clipping the inside of the post.
The Crusaders rallied from there, pushing forward with creativity to pressure the Tiger back line. On this night, it was Wittenberg that kept strong form in the back third. Senior defenders Anthony Ianiro (Mayfield Hts., Ohio/University School) and Justin Jenkins (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) consistently pushed the ball away from net, and fellow senior defender Michael Hosket (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) bottled up Capital's All-American forward, holding the Crusaders to eight shots, including just one quality scoring opportunity, which was stopped late in the game by freshman goalkeeper Michael Lambeck (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman).
It was on a counter-attack in the 88th minute where the Tigers would finally put the game away, when Price received a long ball from Borland on the back line, and finished from 12 yards away to collect his team-leading 7th goal of the year.
With the win, the streak continues for Steve Dawson and his men, as they have now run the record to 9-0-0, heading into the beginning of conference play. The Tigers travel to Meadville, Pa., to take on the Allegheny Gators on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Written By: Ben Bradley, SID Assistant