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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers took a huge step forward Wednesday at Edwards-Maurer Field with a 2-0 win over North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) arch-rival Denison.
The win, which ran Wittenberg's win streak to four and unbeaten string to eight, moved the Tigers to 2-0-1 in the NCAC and 11-2-1 overall. It also exacted a measure of revenge against the team that knocked the now 17th-ranked Tigers out of the 2007 NCAA Division III Tournament on penalty kicks.
An evenly played game throughout turned on one play as junior forward Corey Shubitowski (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson) broke a scoreless tie in the 59th minute. After taking a through ball on the right side, Shubitowski took a couple of quick touches and then blasted a shot from a tough angle near the top of the penalty box that found the back of Denison's net.
With the game in hand, the Tigers put a little icing on the cake with a goal inside the final second of play. Senior midfielder Lindsey Rusch (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) lobbed a corner kick into the goal mouth and senior forward Amy Meige (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales) headed it in.
Denison, ranked 13th in the latest national poll, was credited with three shots in each half, compared to a total of seven for Wittenberg. Tiger senior goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) recorded four saves to preserve her 41st career shutout, which tied the NCAC mark of former Denison goalkeeper Elizabeth Clapacs.
After the game, Head Coach Norm Riker was enthused by the play of freshman defender Margaret Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy), who spearheaded a unit that allowed the potent Big Red few quality scoring opportunities. She cleared away several free balls around the goal and made a tremendous open-field tackle in the first half that thwarted another Denison chance before it ever materialized.