Tigers Momentum Has Stayed Steady Heading Into the End of the Season

Steve Doring

The Wittenberg men's soccer team is riding a three-game win streak at just the right time. With several key conference games coming up in the next two weeks, Head Coach Steve Dawson and his team will find out if the momentum garnered from beating three teams in the lower portion of the NCAC standings can carry over against teams ranked among the best in the nation.

The recent win streak started Oct. 4 at home against Kenyon, a game the Tigers won 5-3. Since then, Wittenberg defeated Earlham 2-0 at home on Oct. 8 and then hit the road to defeat Hiram on Oct. 11 by a 5-1 score.

In the win over Hiram, senior Steve Doring (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Sophomores Matt Berry (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) and Isaac Boye-Arthur (Tema, Ghana/St. Peter's) also scored goals, and freshman Sebastian Missura (Quito, Ecuador/American School) found the back of the net twice. Assists were provided by sophomore Andy Stewart (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne), Berry, freshman Eduardo Missura (Quito, Ecuador/American School), freshman Jason Sucher (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual) and freshman Nick Hauff (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes), who finished with a pair.

It is now make-it or break-it time for the young Tigers, who have won six of their last eight games after a 1-5 start. Next up is a home game against nationally ranked Allegheny on Oct. 18. Next week, the Tigers travel to Wabash on Wednesday and play a home game against Denison on Oct. 25 before wrapping up the regular season on the road against Oberlin. The Tigers are currently in a logjam near the top of the NCAC standings, and only the top four teams will advance to the conference tournament, which is slated to be contested Nov. 7-8.