SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - A fast start was followed by an even stronger finish as Wittenberg pulled away from Adrian for a 23-18 victory in the Tigers' 2014 home opener.

The win was Wittenberg's third in a row to start the season, while Adrian fell to 1-3.

The Tigers opened the game with a commanding 6-1 lead over the first eight minutes, but Adrian responded with a 10-4 run to take an 11-10 lead with eight seconds left before halftime. Just seven seconds later, Wittenberg offered its response in the form of a goal by senior Francine Murzynski (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic) off an assist from junior Logan Warye (Maineville, Ohio/Kings).

The momentum carried over into the second half, although it took until the closing moments for the Tigers to shake Adrian. Junior Megan Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard) single-handedly expanded a two-goal lead into the final 23-18 margin with three goals over the final 2:12 of the contest.

Wittenberg's offensive barrage was led by Warye, who totaled six goals and four assists for the third-highest single-game point total in program history. She had plenty of help, including Loofbourrow with a career-best five goals and Murzynski with three tallies.

Junior Beth Hubbard (West Hartford, Conn./Notre Dame de Sion (Mo.)) added two goals and two assists, senior Alie Marousek (Ballston Lake, NY/Portsmouth (NH)) chipped in with two goals and two assists, sophomore Olivia Lash (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) contributed a pair of goals, sophomore Carrie Kubasta (Medina, Ohio/Medina) finished with two goals and an assist and freshman Becca Joseph (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) rounded things out with a goal.

Wittenberg held a 33-29 advantage in shots for the game and a 25-20 edge in ground balls. In goal, sophomore Katie Reuter (Cleveland, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) made two saves while playing the first half and sophomore Maddy Kelly (Columbus, Ohio/Bexley) manned the net over the final 30 minutes and was credited with two saves as well.