DELAWARE, Ohio - To reach the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference mountain in men's and women's soccer, teams must climb the considerable heights created by Ohio Wesleyan and Denison. For the second straight year, the Wittenberg Tigers were derailed early in the NCAC schedule by the Big Red and late in the regular season campaign by the Battling Bishops.

The result is a Tiger team now in a must-win situation every time out heading into a crucial final week of the regular season. The 2004 NCAC Tournament runner-up, Wittenberg now stands 12-4 overall and 3-3 in the NCAC, good for fifth place. The final week of the season presents a road trip to Hiram on Saturday and what is almost certainly a decisive confrontation with Wooster at home on Saturday, Oct. 29. The winner of that game, in all likelihood, becomes the fourth participant in the exclusive four-team NCAC Tournament as the Scots are faced with an Ohio Wesleyan/Denison gauntlet in the days leading up to the road trip to Springfield next weekend.

Against Ohio Wesleyan, the defending NCAC regular season and tournament champion, things started off badly for the Tigers as the Battling Bishops scored twice in the opening half to take a commanding advantage into the halftime break. The Tigers actually attempted more shots in the first 45 minutes of the game, but Ohio Wesleyan capitalized on their chances to improve to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference.

For the game, Ohio Wesleyan finished with a 14-12 advantage in total shots as Wittenberg sophomore goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke finished with four saves against the two goals allowed. The Bishops' netminder recorded three saves in the game.