SPRINGFIELD, OH - Wittenberg Men's Lacrosse picked up its third straight victory with a 12-9 decision against visiting Marietta on a wet and windy afternoon at Edwards-Maurer Field.

After dropping their first two games of the 2025 season, the Tigers have now claimed wins over Muskingum, Alfred, and Marietta to push ahead of the .500 mark for the first time at 3-2. The Pioneers saw their record fall to 5-2 on the campaign with the defeat.

Marietta came into the game riding a three-game win streak, in part thanks to an offensive attack that had averaged 17 goals per game in that stretch. But the Tigers did the job defensively, forcing 21 Marietta turnovers and limiting the Pioneers to just 26 shots. In goal, sophomore netminder Griffin Howell (Whitestown, IN / Zionsville Community) came up with six saves for the Tigers on 15 shots that were directed on target in the game.

At the other end of the pitch, Wittenberg piled up 52 shots in the game. Thirty-one of those attempts came in the second half as the Tigers finally pulled away. After taking a 5-3 lead into halftime, Wittenberg saw Marietta rally to tie things up at 7-7 on two goals in a span of just 19 seconds in the third quarter. But after Nate Neal's goal for the Pioneers at the 5:12 mark of the third quarter, Marietta managed just two more tallies.

Travis Demsher (Santa Clarita, CA / West Ranch) broke the tie at the 2:25 mark of the third frame, and then the Tigers scored a key goal shorthanded just 10 seconds into the fourth on the counterattack. Ethan Pac (Greenwood, IN / Cathedral) picked up a bouncing ball off a shot that hit the crossbar, and he tucked a quick shot into the Marietta net to give the Tigers a much-needed two-goal cushion.

Pac and Dillon McKeigue (Olmsted Township, OH / St. Edward) led Wittenberg with four goals each, and McKeigue added two assists to his final ledger. Quentin Rudolph (Grand Rapids, MI / Forest Hills Central) was active in the midfield, scooping up six ground balls for the Tigers to lead the way in that department, followed by McKeigue with five and Pac with four. Max Benincasa (Shaker Heights, OH / Shaker Heights) was tops in caused turnovers for Wittenberg with three.

Another key stat in the game was face-offs, as Wittenberg won 15 of the 23 taken. Luke Stanfield (Lebanon, OH / Lebanon) won 6-of-8, Charlie Frederick (Chagrin Falls, OH / Chagrin Falls) won 5-of-8, and Colten Simkins (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) won 4-of-7.