SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers kicked off the 2011 season in the best way possible, dominating visiting Fontbonne in a 14-3 victory.
The Tigers, coming off a 9-6 record in 2010 in their first season under Head Coach Nichole Johnson, headed to Florida for a short Spring Break trip right after the game and will face Gwynedd-Mercy in West Palm Beach at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 8. Fontbonne dropped to 2-1 on the young season.
The Griffins started the scoring, as Brittny Radley found the back of the net less than three minutes into the game. But Wittenberg junior Lindsey Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) brought the Tigers right back, scoring 11 seconds later off a feed from sophomore Kellen Morrissey (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill). The Tigers scored the next three goals and then closed the first half with four unanswered after a Fontbonne goal.
Over the final 30 minutes, the Tigers emptied their bench but kept up the pressure, building a 12-2 lead before the Griffins finally broke through again with 3:38 remaining. Wittenberg closed the game with two goals in the final minute for the final margin.
Morrissey led the Tigers with five total points on three goals and two assists, part of a fine all-around performance that included four caused turnovers and five ground balls. Hanners and freshman Caroline Eldridge (Amelia, Ohio/McNicholas) also scored three goals each in the game, while senior Jordan Beauchamp (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) added a pair.
Sophomore Erin Guiliano (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) led both teams with six ground balls, while Hanners contributed five. Junior Jenn Close (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) added four ground balls to go along with one goal and one assist. She was one of four Tigers to finish with four ground balls in the game, the others being Beauchamp, junior Jessica Mead (Columbus, Ohio/The Wellington School) and sophomore Katie Warner (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy).
In goal, junior Jenny Schaafsma (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids)picked up the win after saving two shots in one half of action. Sophomore Katie Bondy (Westerville, Ohio/South) came on in relief and recorded a pair of saves over the final 30 minutes.