SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - For 110 minutes, Wittenberg and Denison slogged through a tense North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament semifinal without resolution. Despite some quality scoring chances, neither team managed a breakthrough in a game played in steady rain and chilly November winds.
With a berth in the NCAC Tournament championship game on the line, it came down to penalty kicks. Spurred by a clutch save on the first attempt of the shootout by sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Grieser (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham), the Tigers drilled all three of their shots to survive and advance in postseason play.
Officially a 0-0 tie, the Tigers are now 9-6-5 on the season, while Denison saw its 2013 campaign conclude with a record of 9-7-3. The two teams were part of a three-way tie atop the league's regular season standings with Allegheny.
Second-seeded Wittenberg advances to take top-seeded Allegheny in the NCAC Tournament title game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 9. It will be the Tigers' first title game appearance since winning four straight tourney crowns from 2006 to 2009.
Despite holding an 18-13 advantage in total shots, the Tigers were unable to solve the Denison defense. In the first half, freshman Michelle Brunswick (Middletown, Ohio/Madison) missed an open goal, and a shot from close range early in the second half by junior Chelsey Marcum (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) was cleared off the line by a Denison defender.
In overtime, senior Lindsay Janmey (Hinckley, Ohio/Highlands) had two opportunities to end the game, pushing one shot wide and heading another ball onto the Denison crossbar.
In addition to the shots advantage, Wittenberg held a commanding 13-4 edge in corner kicks in the game. Denison goalkeeper Andrea Karl was forced into 10 saves, while Wittenberg freshman Kelsey Lorko (Fairview Park, Ohio/Fairview) was credited with six saves before giving way to Grieser just before the shootout.
Grieser made the aforementioned shootout save, and Denison followed that with a pair of shots off target. Sophomore Zoe Curry (Milford, Ohio/Ursuline), Marcum and junior Tobie Weston (Worthington, Ohio/Worthington Christian) responded with three straight penalty kicks that found the back of the goal, with Weston's tally setting off a celebration.