SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Wittenberg and Mount St. Joseph played more than 120 minutes of women's soccer over the course of nearly 24 hours. The remnants of pesky Hurricane Isaac were the biggest winner this Labor Day weekend, but a result was finally achieved as the Tigers claimed a 6-0 season-opening victory.
The teams were forced off the field with 35:32 remaining on the clock in the second half of the game originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 1. Wittenberg held a 1-0 lead, but after lightning continued to flash in the Springfield area, it was decided to postpone the game and start from scratch the next day.
This time, the Tigers broke out offensively, netting two goals in the first half and another four in the first 32 minutes of the second stanza before lightning again was seen in the vicinity and play was stopped. This time, Wittenberg was awarded the victory.
Six different Wittenberg players got into the scoring column, starting with junior Kayla Murphy (Dayton, Ohio/Stebbins) and senior Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) in the first half. The Tigers quickly put the game out of reach in the second half with goals scored by freshman Kaylee Gialamas (Willoughby, Ohio/Hawken), freshman Lauren Bischoff (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern), sophomore Chelsey Marcum (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) and freshman Kate Burns (Granger, Ind./Penn).
Two assists were credited. Senior Lauren McMahon (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline) provided the feed on Striebel's goal and freshman Zoe Curry (Milford, Ohio/Ursuline) played a long ball to Bischoff for her score.
The scoring barrage, the largest in Head Coach Kwame Lloyd's brief tenure at Wittenberg, made a winner out of senior goalkeeper Cassie Lythjohan (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville), although she didn't have to make a save. The Tigers outshot Mount St. Joseph 36-1 in the game while attempting 10 corner kicks to none for the Lions.
The Tigers now hit the road for an extended period, starting with a trip to Wilmington on Wednesday, Sept. 5. First kick is slated for 7 p.m.