Tigers Open Up NCAC Play with 19-1 Victory Over Hiram

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—Wittenberg's men's lacrosse program opened up NCAC play Saturday afternoon with an impressive rout of the visiting Hiram Terriers, 19-1.  The high-powered Tiger offense was able to jump out to a 13-0 lead in the first half, before allowing Hiram to score their lone goal. Michael Carluccio (Bedford, New Hampshire/Bishop Guertin), Gerald Coyle (Grosse Pointe, Michigan/Grosse Pointe) and Quinn McKeown (Concord, Massachusetts/Tabor Academy) all recorded hat tricks in the Tiger's opening NCAC play victory. The win for Wittenberg puts the Tigers at 4-2 on the season, and 1-0 in NCAC play.

GAME BREAKDOWN

• Impressively, Carluccio was able to record his hat trick in the first ten minutes of regulation Saturday afternoon.
• McKeown was able to net two quick goals for the Tigers in the second quarter, giving the Tigers a 12-0 lead.
• Wittenberg managed to jump out to a 13-0 lead before the Terriers collected their first and only goal.
• After netting a goal to open up the second quarter, Coyle opened up the scoring for Wittenberg in the third quarter, charging the net on an unassisted goal with 10:07 remaining in the quarter.
• Coyle, McKeown and Charlie Tillett (Wayland, Massachusetts/Wayland) each scored a goal in the fourth quarter to round out the Tigers day.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Wittenberg dished out 11 assists by nine different Tigers in the 19 goal offensive outburst.
• The Tigers outshot the Terriers 39-9 in the victory, as Wittenberg's defense was fundamentally sound on Saturday.
• In the faceoff circle, the Tigers finished 12-24 on the day, winning 6-10 in the second quarter in which the home team scored seven goals.

KEY STATS

• Wittenberg proved to be the aggressor on Saturday, forcing Hiram into 24 turnovers in the game.
• On the day, the Tigers picked up 41 ground balls as a team, while junior David Strahm (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) led Wittenberg with six.

FROM THE BENCH

• "I was really happy we took some things that we did not do well on Wednesday and did them better today. I am also pleased with the way we shared the ball on the offensive side," said Coach Owen.

UP NEXT

• Wittenberg takes a break from NCAC play on March 22, as the Tigers welcome the Bulldogs of Adrian to Springfield for a 4:00PM game.

 Written By: Kuris Duggan