SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers bounced back from a big loss to Ohio Northern with a fine performance against visiting Mount St. Joseph, piling up three goals while shuttling 27 different players into the game en route to a dominating 3-0 victory.
The win moved the Tigers back above the .500 mark at 3-2-1. Mount St. Joseph fell to 1-6.
Wittenberg had a significant majority of possession in the game, leading to a 29-6 advantage in shots. In addition, the Tigers were awarded 12 corner kicks, compared to three for the Lions.
A trio of Tiger goalkeepers pitched the shutout, starting with freshman Robby Frye (Loveland, Ohio/Kings). However, he was forced out of the game after a collision in the penalty area after just 15 minutes. Senior James Van Artsdalen (Riverwoods, Ill./Deerfield) and junior David Barth (Findlay, Ohio/Cypress Ranch (Texas)) followed, and the three combined to make four saves in the game.
Offensively, Wittenberg got on the board on a goal in the 15th minute by senior Brian Boutin (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), who finished a breakaway. The Tigers made it 2-0 on a goal at the 29:32 mark as freshman Josh McErlean (Columbus, Ohio/Westerville South) scored on a header. The assist on the play went to senior Adam Pitchel (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville), whose header set up McErlean.
In the second half, the lone goal came 6:09 in on a penalty kick by junior John Long (Dublin, Ohio/Columbus Academy). The opportunity was set up following a corner kick as senior Joe Poff (Vandalia, Ohio/Butler) was held by the shirt by a Mount St. Joseph defender.