Melissa Gartner

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The Wittenberg Tigers suffered a cruel fate in their first game as a ranked team in 2010, absorbing a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins in the first game of the Carnegie Mellon Invitational.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 3-1 on the young season, heading into a game against the host Tartans on Sunday. Johns Hopkins is also 3-1.

Wittenberg held a commanding 2-0 lead early in the second half when lightning struck. First, a golden scoring opportunity for the Tigers was denied. After JHU cleared the ball forward, the ball was played in behind the Tiger defense, forcing sophomore goalkeeper Cassie Lythjohan (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) to make a hard challenge. Her foul on the Johns Hopkins player was deemed worthy of a red card, leading to a penalty kick and Lythjohan's ejection from the game.

Sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) returned to the game after keeping the Blue Jays scoreless in the first half, but she could do little to stem the tide. After JHU scored on the penalty kick, the Blue Jays picked up the equalizer in the 81st minute and the game-winner in the 87th.

The Tigers took the early lead on a goal in the sixth minute by junior forward Sheryl Chambers (Victorville, Calif./St. Joan of Arc), and they added to the lead with a goal by sophomore Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) at the 19:07 mark. For the game, Johns Hopkins finished with a 13-6 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in corner kicks.