RICHMOND, Ind. - The game wasn't even six minutes old and the Wittenberg Tigers found themselves on the short end of a 2-0 score. The last 84 minutes were a scoreless draw, but the damage was already done as Earlham held on for a two-goal decision.

The loss dropped Wittenberg to 4-5 on the season, heading into Saturday's North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opener against Oberlin. Earlham, a former conference rival, improved to 4-5.

The Quakers scored at the 2:23 and 5:58 marks of the first half. Overall in the game, Earlham held a slim 14-13 shots advantage in the game.

Senior Kevin Bond (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) led the Tigers with three shots, while sophomore Zack Moore (Kettering, Ohio/Alter) and freshman Patrick Szymczak (Westerville, Ohio/South) added two attempts on goal apiece. At the other end of the field, junior James Van Artsdalen (Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield) was credited with four saves in the first 75 minutes before giving way to junior Jeff Mengerink (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes), who made two saves.