Kelly Foley

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers did what they had to do on a chilly, rainy evening, grinding out a 1-0 win over rival Ohio Wesleyan in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opener for both teams.

The win ran Wittenberg's unbeaten streak to seven in a row, with six wins and a tie since back-to-back losses Sept. 11 and 12 in the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. The Tigers head into a much-needed week of rest and recuperation before an Oct. 9 home date against Hiram with records of 9-2-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the NCAC. Ohio Wesleyan dropped to 2-6-2 overall on the 2010 campaign.

The lone goal was provided by senior Erin McLeish (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto), who placed a free kick into the top corner of the net in the 22nd minute. She returned to her customary defensive position the rest of the game, and she teamed with fellow senior backliners Maggie Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy) and Kelly Foley (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) to thoroughly stifle the Battling Bishops' attack. OWU managed just five shots in the game, with Tigers' sophomore goalkeeper Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) forced into just three saves.

Wittenberg attempted 17 shots in the game, forcing OWU's goalkeeper into seven saves, and the Tigers held a commanding 6-0 advantage in corner kick opportunities. The only category that the Bishops' led was fouls, with OWU doubling Wittenberg up, 10-5.