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Springfield, Ohio — Even with a father who played professional football and a brother who is currently a professional soccer player, Wittenberg women's soccer goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke, class of 2008 from Columbus, Ohio, stands out. After recording her 42nd career shutout in a 1-0 Wittenberg win over Oberlin on Oct. 13 at Edwards-Maurer Field, O'Rourke stands alone atop the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) career shutout list.
Already the owner of Wittenberg's season and career shutout records, O'Rourke, whose brother, Danny, is a starter for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS), broke the NCAC record previously held by Denison's Elizabeth Clapacs (1998-2001). It was O'Rourke's 10th shutout of the 2007 season, among a total of 12 for the 17th ranked Tigers (one short of the team record set in 2005 and 2006), helping Wittenberg improve to 12-2-1 overall and 3-0-1 in the NCAC.
O'Rourke anchors a defense that has allowed just five goals all season and has been scored upon in just three games in 2007. The stingy defense provides a foundation for the Tigers' success as they shoot for a second consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament berth after the first postseason appearance in school history in 2006.
O'Rourke's success with the Tiger women's soccer program was anything but a given after a high school career at Worthington Kilbourne in which "I sat for three years and only played my senior year in high school, mostly due to seniority." She was a part of teams that won three conference championships and finished second in the Central District in 2000 and 2003. O'Rourke's first extensive playing time came in 2003, and she played well enough to earn second-team all-conference honors.
As a high school senior, O'Rourke's mind was made up - she was going to The Ohio State University to be a Buckeye. College soccer was not in her plans until a persuasive, persistent Norm Riker, Wittenberg's head women's soccer coach, entered the picture.
"Norm is the reason I am here today, without a doubt," O'Rourke said. "Jamie McIntyre [Wittenberg Class of 2007] told Norm to recruit me because she was a friend of mine and she knew I was a goalie and Wittenberg needed a goalie. So Norm came to watch me play one day and told me to give it a week.
"Over that week I had teammates and Norm calling me almost every day. His main question was 'Why not?' We decided that I could still be a Buckeye without going to Ohio State, but I couldn't be a Tiger without going here. I would never take it back and I cannot imagine not playing soccer for the last four years."
Wittenberg's women's soccer program has certainly benefited from the decision. O'Rourke is part of a nine-player senior class that transformed the program into a national title contender.
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Meghan O'Rourke and the Tiger defense has allowed just five goals in the entire 2007 season.
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In 2003, the year before O'Rourke and her classmates arrived at Wittenberg, the Tigers finished 8-10-1. Since then, the Tigers have a 52-14-10 overall record, easily the best four-year stretch in the 22-year history of the program, and in 2006, Wittenberg won its first NCAC Tournament title. Riker told the players in this year's senior class that the program's turnaround would start with them and "everything that Norm said he wanted to have happen has, and more," O'Rourke said.
Her brother, Danny, captained his high school team to a Division I high school state title in 2000, and he was named conference player of the year while also making all-district, all-state and All-America teams. He added the Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy, college soccer's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, as a senior at Indiana University to cap a collegiate career that included four regular season Big Ten titles, two Big Ten Tournament championships and back-to-back NCAA Division I championships in 2003 and 2004.
"The 2003 championship game was played at Crew Stadium so he has won the state championship and the national championship there, so now we're just waiting for him to win the MLS Cup," Meghan said.
Though their seasons overlap, Meghan has been able to attend many of Danny's games through the years, and the pro standout returns the favor whenever possible. Meghan described watching Danny's national championship games as "something right out of Rudy. I definitely take on the sister role, not the soccer player role when I watch him play. I'm very protective. When he won, we all won; it was an entire family accomplishment."
He may be the pro and she is the college player, but Meghan said her brother keeps his teammates abreast of her accomplishments. Following a Crew loss on Sept. 30, Danny's roommate, also a goalkeeper, congratulated her and wished her luck with the shutout record.
"I was like, "you just lost, and you remembered me and you're congratulating me?" Meghan said. "It was so cool.
"I love watching my brother play and I'm like a 5-year-old when I go to his games and see him play."
With Meghan's career winding down and a women's professional soccer league set to launch in 2009, is it likely that another O'Rourke will play in the professional ranks?
"My brother says I'm at least trying out, but I'm not," Meghan said.
While O'Rourke's individual accolades also include second-team All-NCAC in 2006 and honorable mention all-conference in 2005, she is quick to point that the shutouts are a total team effort. She even salutes back-up Jordan Bamberger, class of 2009 from Solon, Ohio, for her contributions and team-first attitude.
"My entire team, and my back four, we're so good defensively," she said. "While my name will be in the record book, it's a team effort."
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Written By: Sarah Fetters '08