SPRINGFIELD, OH - On a crisp Saturday afternoon, Wittenberg Field Hockey moved back into the win column, thanks to some timely offensive contributions from a trio of freshmenm and another a stingy defensive performance. The combination helped the Tigers secure a pivotal 2-0 victory over North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival Oberlin that improved Wittenberg's record to 10-1 overall and 7-1 in the NCAC, while Oberlin remains winless on the season, falling to 0-12 and 0-8 in conference play.
Despite tallying 14 first quarter shots and having many promising offensive opportunities, the Tigers were not able to find the back of the cage and the match remained scoreless heading into the second period.
With six minutes remaining until the break, freshman Jamie Triolo (Haskell, NJ/Lakeland Regional) gave the Tigers the 1-0 lead, as she scored her first goal of the season off an assist from freshman Lexi Cutler (Farmington Hills, MI/North Farmington).
The Tigers maintained their one-goal advantage throughout the majority of the second half, as it wasn't until 30 seconds to go in the match Witt was able to extend its lead. Freshman Claire Frient (Dublin, OH/Coffman) notched her third goal of the season to push Witt to its 10th win of the season. The assist on the goal went to Devyn Groves (La Grange, KY / Oldham County Senior) as she played a nice cross through the goal mouth to Frient on the back post.
Defensively, all three of Wittenberg's goalkeepers, Caitlin Archdeacon (Saratoga, CA/Westmont), Izzy Thompson (New Albany, OH/New Albany) and Essence Wyse (Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy) split time in the match and helped Witt earn its sixth shutout of the season.
Overall, Wittenberg dominated the contest, as the Tigers outshot the Yeowomen 29-1 and posted 10 penalty corners to Oberlin's one.
The win moved Wittenberg into a tie for second place in the NCAC standings with Denison with two more conference matches of the regular season coming up next week. The outcome of those games, against Wooster and league-leading Ohio Wesleyan, will determine the regular season conference champion and seeding in the postseason tournament.
The Tigers have a quick turnaround as they host Wooster in their final home game of the season, tomorrow, Sunday, October 27. The match is set to start at 1 p.m. at Edwards-Maurer Field at Wittenberg Stadium. The game will serve as Wittenberg's Breast Cancer Awareness match.