SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers rolled through the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) schedule without a loss, but for a fourth straight year the Tigers stumbled in the league tournament, this time falling to fourth-seeded Oberlin in the semifinals.
Wittenberg came into the game short-handed due to injuries, and it turned out to be costly as the Tigers, one of the top-scoring teams in all of NCAA Division III, couldn't mount a consistent attack. The loss likely ended Wittenberg's season with an 11-4 overall record - the Tigers are ranked second in the Mid-South Region rankings released earlier today, but they are likely to drop after the defeat.
Oberlin improved to 11-5 on the season and will advance to the NCAC Tournament championship game on Saturday against either Wooster or Denison.
The Yeowomen held a significant advantage in possession in the game, and that turned out to be critical. It started with a commanding 16-8 advantage in draw controls and a 35-23 edge in ground balls, which led to Oberlin outshooting the host team 27-20.
Wittenberg opened the scoring at the 26:09 mark of the first half on a goal by senior Beth Hubbard (West Hartford, Conn./Notre Dame de Sion (Mo.)), but Oberlin pulled out to a 7-4 lead heading into the closing minutes before intermission. That's when senior Logan Warye (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) tallied and then senior Megan Loofbourrow (Prospect, Ky./Ballard) capped the half with a goal with just six seconds remaining.
Oberlin dominated the second half, however, opening with three straight goals and six of the first seven to take a 13-7 lead with 7:08 left in the game. Junior Olivia Lash (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) managed to pull two goals back in the late-going, but Oberlin closed out the game with two long possessions in the final two minutes.
Warye finished with three goals to run her season total to 67, matching the record she set a year ago. She also contributed four ground balls and team-leading totals of six draw controls and six caused turnovers, while freshman Victoria Zysik (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) topped the team in ground balls with five.
Written By: Ryan Maurer