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NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Wittenberg women's soccer team scored twice for the first time this season in a 2-0 win over Manchester Saturday afternoon, improving to 4-0-3 while Manchester falls to 0-6-0 overall. The Tigers again prevented their opponent from scoring a goal, bringing the shutout streak to a record-tying seven games.
The Tiger defense again played its role without exception in preventing Manchester from getting off a shot, while at the other end Wittenberg piled on 25 attempts, 13 on goal. The Red & White also held a 2-1 advantage in corner kicks.
On the offensive side, 15 different players accounted for Wittenberg's 25 shots, led by freshman forward Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) with four shots, two of which accounted for the Tiger goals. Junior midfielder Erin McCleish (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) fired three shots, and five other Tigers shot twice each. The team's 13 shots on goal represents the most of the season.
The team's seventh consecutive shutout ties the team's record, set in 2005, when the Tigers shutout seven in a row after winning their season opener, making the 2009 campaign the longest consecutive shutout streak to open the season. In 2005, the Tigers went on to shutout 13 total opponents, 11 thanks in part to North Coast Athletic Conference single-season and career shutout record-holding goalkeeper Meghan O'Rourke. She tallied 14 shutouts in 2007 to tie the conference record, and finished her career with 46 total.
In both 2007 and so far in 2009, the shutouts were and have been due in large part to the tenacious Tiger defense, which to this point in the season has allowed only 25 shots in seven games, an average of 3.57 per game, and just two total shots on goal. The blanking of Manchester also marks the second time this season the Tigers have kept an opponent from taking any shots, and the fifth game in which an opponent has failed to land a shot on goal.
The Tigers take several days off before returning to the pitch in a 5 p.m. match at Capital on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Capital.
Written by: John Strawn '07