Sydney Bates

The Wittenberg women's soccer team has just two games remaining on its 2005 regular season schedule, and both are absolute must-wins. The Tigers, with a record of 12-4 overall but just 3-3 in the rugged North Coast Athletic Conference, likely must defeat Hiram on the road on Saturday and Wooster at home on Oct. 29 to secure a berth in the four-team NCAC Tournament. 

Wittenberg is in this predicament thanks to losses the last three weeks to conference front-runners Kenyon, Denison and Ohio Wesleyan. The most recent loss came on Wednesday at OWU, as the defending conference champions claimed a 2-0 win.

The fact that it was an evenly played game with a shot count that favored the home team by just two is of little or no consequence. The Tigers, who aspire to reach the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in the program's 20-year history, will likely have to win the NCAC Tournament to secure a bid.

To do that, the road starts with two wins in the final two regular season games, with the game against Wooster looming as the biggest home game for the team in years. The Tigers faced a similar scenario a year ago, and they came through with a 2-0 win at Oberlin on the final Saturday of the regular season.

The Tigers' most recent win came last Saturday against Allegheny at Edwards-Maurer Field. Sophomore forward Sydney Bates (Loveland, Ohio/Milford) headed home a cross from junior defender Jamie McIntyre (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview)in the second half and the Tiger defense made it stand up, allowing the Gators just three shots in the entire game. Behind sophomore goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), the Tigers recorded their school record-tying 11th shutout of the season, equalling a mark set in 1995 and 2004.

Details about the Tigers' season can be found on the team's schedule/results pageand season statistics page.