The Wittenberg field hockey team is well positioned for a strong stretch run to the 2005 season. With three games remaining in the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season, the Tigers stand 8-6 overall and, more importantly, 6-3 in the NCAC.
In the last week, Wittenberg dropped a 3-1 decision at Wooster on Saturday before rallying for a 6-0 home victory over Earlham on Wednesday. The loss, while disappointing, followed a recent pattern - Wittenberg has lost to the Scots on their home field each of the last three years as well, only to follow that with NCAC regular season and tournament titles.
In the loss to Wooster, Wittenberg was outshot by a whopping 33-8 margin. Sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Irvin (Gettysburg, Pa./Littlestown) had a season-high 17 saves to keep the Tigers within striking distance in the game.
Against Earlham, the Tigers were unstoppable offensively, led by junior forward Katy Barrett (Powell, Ohio/Watterson). With four goals - two in each half - Barrett posted the third-highest scoring total in school history. She would have tied Blair Ufer for second place with five goals if her second-half penalty stroke had been just inches lower instead of clanging off the edge of the goal cage.
Three players had two assists in the game: junior defender Rachel Dunn (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), junior midfielder Holly McHugh (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) and junior forward Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington). Senior Julia Wickham (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview) finished with a goal and an assist.