Wittenberg Hangs Tough With Excellent Calvin Team Before Advancing On Penalty Kicks
The Wittenberg Tigers and Calvin Knights played Saturday evening's NCAA Division III women's soccer tournament second round game on a razor's edge. Both teams grasped at the pendulum of momentum but could never get a solid grip, as it swung back forth all night. In what has to be one of the closest games the 2007 NCAA tournament has seen so far, both teams played their best soccer of the year, sending the game through two regulation halves, two overtimes, and careening into penalty kicks. It was decided there as Wittenberg goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) proved any doubters wrong, stopping three shots from Calvin and sending the Tigers to the next round.
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Wittenberg's Meghan O'Rourke and Suzanne Medwid celebrate.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers and Calvin Knights played Saturday evening's NCAA Division III women's soccer tournament second round game on a razor's edge. Both teams grasped at the pendulum of momentum but could never get a solid grip, as it swung back forth all night. In what has to be one of the closest games the 2007 NCAA tournament has seen so far, both teams played their best soccer of the year, sending the game through two regulation halves, two overtimes, and careening into penalty kicks. It was decided there as Wittenberg goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) proved any doubters wrong, stopping three shots from Calvin and sending the Tigers to the next round.
In the culmination of any soccer fan's wildest dream, O'Rourke made three penalty kick saves, while Maureen Buckley (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), Lisa Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) and Suzanne Medwid (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) all found the net against Calvin goalkeeper Alyssa Bergsma. The final goal from Medwid pushed the penalty kicks round out of reach for Calvin, and despite the game officially ending as a tie, the Tigers advanced to Round 3 for the first time in school history. Wittenberg will face Ithaca College next weekend, in a location, time and date to be determined.
The game was as heated as any that has been played on Edwards-Maurer Field, even with the near freezing temperatures. The first half centered mostly around midfield, while the second half featured large swings in momentum that found the action alternately at either side of the field. In the first overtime, Calvin came out strong and dominated through almost all 10 minutes, but Wittenberg's defense held up, preventing the golden goal from finding its way past O'Rourke. In the second overtime the Tigers took back the energy, and looked as if they might crack the Knight defense. But it was not so easy as the Calvin women held their own and sent it to the penalty kicks.
There were stars all over the field, in both colors of jerseys. Of particular note were the backfielders for each team. Calvin was represented in that category by Emily Ottenhoff, Elaine Schnabel, Kellie Honderd and Ashley Bolen, among others. Wittenberg got outstanding play from Medwid, who was always in the right place at the right time, ready to keep the ball out of Tiger territory. Any offensive opportunities that developed for the Tigers were in part due to her efforts, as she floated around the circle and forced Calvin to keep on their toes. A chorus of other Tigers exhibited season-best performances, including Rachael Radel (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview), Rachel Morgan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) and Margaret Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy) in the defensive backfield.
Head Coach Norm Riker and his Wittenberg Tigers will now prepare to move on to the round of 16, but he credits the Calvin team with a good showing.
"I can't say enough about this Calvin team, they are an excellent club," Riker said. "Meghan [O'Rourke] really saved us in penalty kicks. Our players left it all out on the field, and Calvin played a great game. We are just fortunate enough to advance."
Written by: John Strawn