Round Up: Tigers Take Two More Ties To Remain Undefeated

Meghan O'Rourke

It's hard to imagine that even eternally optimistic Head Coach Norm Riker and his Wittenberg women's soccer team envisioned this kind of start for a team with a roster stocked mostly with underclassmen. But through the first month of the campaign, the Tigers remain unbeaten at 6-0-4 after a strong week in which they defeated perennial North Coast Athletic Conference powerhouse Wooster and tied perennial Ohio Athletic Conference power Wilmington.

What's more impressive is that both games were played on the road. In the win on Saturday over Wooster, which was also previously unbeaten, the game-winning second-half goal was scored by freshman midfielderLisa Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne). Freshman goalkeeperMeghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) made that 1-0 margin stand up with three saves as the Scots directed a total of nine shots toward the Tiger goal.

Against Wilmington, the Tigers set a record with their fourth tie of the season. Sophomore defensive back Lauren Fraley (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy) scored the Tigers' lone goal, an equalizer that came toward the end of the first half. O'Rourke and the Tiger defense came up big again the rest of the way to preserve the tie.

Next up for the Tigers, who are ranked in the top five in the Great Lakes Region, is another huge conference game, and again it is on the road. On Saturday, Wittenberg travels to Allegheny for a game that will undoubtedly serve as a measuring stick for the program. Two years, the Tigers were beaten 7-0 by the Gators on their home turf. Last year, Allegheny won 3-0 in Springfield.