SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's lacrosse team finished off a second consecutive undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference season on Monday with a 22-3 victory over visiting DePauw.
The Tigers improved to 8-0 in NCAC play and 12-3 overall, tying the program's highest single-season win total (1987 – 12-4; 1990 – 12-5; 2012 – 12-5). The back-to-back undefeated seasons add up to 14 straight NCAC regular season victories.
The upcoming NCAC tournament decides not only the automatic NCAA Division III Tournament bid, but also the final conference standings. As a result, Wittenberg has two games left to earn the title of NCAC champion, though as the top seed, Wittenberg is assured of home-field advantage throughout the league tournament.
The championship event kicks off Thursday, May 2, with a 5 p.m. semifinal between second-seeded Kenyon (11-2, 7-1 NCAC) and third-seeded Denison (13-2, 6-2 NCAC) in Gambier, Ohio, and continues at 6:30 p.m. as the Tigers host fourth-seeded Wooster (12-4, 5-3 NCAC).
The championship game will be played at the home site of the highest remaining seed on Saturday, May 4, at 5 p.m.
The Tigers will be making their 13th overall and third straight appearance in the NCAC tournament. They found their first tournament victory last year with a 12-5 semifinal defeat of Allegheny on Thursday, May 3, but fell in the championship game to Denison by an 11-9 final score.
If the Tigers' performance Monday night against first-year program DePauw is any indication, this year's crew is ready to change the narrative. The offense poured in 22 goals on 37 shots against just 14 shots for the visitors, while controlling the ball with 31 groundballs to DePauw's 16.
Sophomore Logan Warye (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) deposited four goals to move into seventh place on the Tigers' all-time single-season scoring leaderboard with 50 for the year, and took over the same spot in points with 64.
Warye's output was matched by sophomore Beth Hubbard (West Hartford, Conn./Notre Dame de Sion, Mo.), and followed by three goals each from junior Alie Marousek (Ballston Lake, NY/Portsmouth, NH), senior Kellen Morrissey (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) and senior Erin Guiliano (Loveland, Ohio/Kings). Marousek and Morrissey each added an assist.
Junior Francine Murzynski (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic) finished the outing with one goal and two assists, as did junior Nicolette Lyons (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest). Sophomore Megan Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard), Kim Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard) and sophomore Lindsey Gaterman (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves) each counted one goal and one assist.
Morrissey's assist moved her into a second-place tie for career assists in the program records with 57, while Murzynski moved up to a fifth-place tie behind her with 45.
Murzynski also paced the Tigers in caused turnovers with three, while Marousek controlled five draws to lead that category. Senior Katie Warner (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy) again played lockdown defense and totaled six groundballs in the effort.
In goal, senior Katie Bondy (Westerville, Ohio/South) and freshman Katie Reuter (Cleveland, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) split the game, with Bondy making four saves against two goals allowed in the first half and Reuter stopping three of four shots in the second half.
As a team, Wittenberg converted five of six free-position attempts while holding DePauw scoreless in three tries.
John Strawn '07