PITTSBURGH, Pa. – In a match as even they come, Wittenberg women's soccer played Frostburg State closer than any other team so far in 2012, falling by a final score of 2-1 in the Carnegie Mellon DoubleTree Tartan Cup.
The Tigers moved to 1-2-1 on the young season and Frostburg State to 4-0-0. The Bobcats won each of their previous matches by at least three goals but slipped away with a one-goal margin Sunday, indicating to head coach Kwame Lloyd that the Tigers are making progress.
"I thought we played well," Lloyd said. "I'm not disappointed in the loss, especially after playing double overtime yesterday. We gave the effort and we were all over them in the second half."
The teams were nearly even in the box score, each with seven saves, Wittenberg with 15 shots, eight on goal and Frostburg State with 14 shots, nine on goal. Frostburg had seven corner kicks to the Tigers' one, but none led to a goal.
Frostburg State's game-winning tally came in the 52nd minute as the result of a scramble near the net, when the ball came loose from the scrum and landed at the Bobcats' Stephanie Fazenbaker's feet with a good look at the goal.
"It was an evenly matched game," Lloyd said. "Both teams battled, but experience won. All our depth is talented but they're young and learning on the run."
Frostburg State's reduced output came largely as the result of the Tiger defense neutralizing junior Adria Graham, the 2011 Capital Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-NSCAA South Atlantic Region selection.
Wittenberg held Graham, averaging two goals and six shots per game entering Sunday's match, to one shot and one assist. It was the first game of the year in which Graham was held below five points, and it came in large part due to the work of senior Lauren McMahon (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline) and freshman Zoe Curry (Milford, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) on the back line.
The Bobcats opened the scoring in the 11th minute as the result of a defensive miscommunication, but Wittenberg answered in the 38th minute when senior Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) fed junior Kayla Murphy (Dayton, Ohio/Stebbins) for her second goal of the campaign.
The Bobcats broke the tie in the 52nd minute, but Wittenberg continued to battle and nearly tied the game in the 82nd minute.
From the endline, Striebel spun the ball inside toward the goal, bringing the keeper out to get it. She could not control the ball, however, deflecting it to senior Amy Cook (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby). She drove a low ball from short range towards the open corner for what appeared to be a sure goal, but Frostburg State deflected it at the last second.
Striebel finished the game with three shots, two on goal, and one assist, while freshman Kaylee Gialamas (Willoughby, Ohio/Hawken) led the offense with four shots, including three on goal. Senior goalkeeper Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) saved seven of the nine shots the Bobcats put on frame.
The Tigers return to Ohio for their next contest, a non-conference matchup at Case Western Reserve University at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15. Case Western is scheduled to provide live statistics and video of the match, which can be found on www.WittenbergTigers.com or http://athletics.case.edu.