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SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers fired their fair share of shots, but they couldn't solve the stout Earlham Quaker defense, settling for a 0-0 draw with their former North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival.
The tie left the Tigers with a 6-2-1 overall record, heading into their final two regular season non-conference games of the 2010 season. Earlham, which lost in the NCAC Tournament title match a year ago at Edwards-Maurer Field before departing the league for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, is now 3-3-1.
The Tigers took their first shot just two minutes into the game and pressured Earlham throughout to the tune of a 21-7 advantage in shots. However, Earlham had the best scoring opportunity in the game - and the only two shots of the second overtime period. In the 103rd minute, Earlham's Karman Duchon broke in on sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) and successfully evaded her but couldn't put home the shot, instead hitting the far post of an open goal.
Nine of Wittenberg's 11 starters in the game attempted at least one shot, led by junior Sheryl Chambers (Victorville, Calif./St. Joan of Arc) with four. Junior Allie Keefer (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) and sophomore Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) each had three shots. All three put one of their shot attempts on goal, but Earlham's Megan Holthaus was up to the task with seven saves.
For Wittenberg, Gartner played 65 minutes and was credited with two saves, while sophomore Cassie Lythjohan (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) kept a clean sheet while playing the entire second half, making one save.