Rachel Ridgeway

The Wittenberg women's lacrosse team put the wraps on the 2004 season on Monday with a 13-6 home victory over Oberlin. It was the Tigers' second win of the season against eight defeats, and the team's second win in North Coast Athletic Conference action against four losses.

In that game, junior Rachel Ridgeway (Montclair, NJ/The Taft School) and junior Erin Kelly (Edina, Minn./Edina) score three goals each to lead the Tiger offense. Freshman Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) added two scores.

That season-ending win, on senior day in which Katie Babcock (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) made her final appearance in the Red & White, was preceded by disappointing losses on the road against Kenyon on April 21 and at home against Denison on April 24. The loss to Kenyon came by a 14-10 count and turned out to be the deciding game in terms of qualification to the NCAC Tournament, which opens Friday, April 30 at Kenyon. Then came a 15-3 loss to Denison.

In the loss to Kenyon, Babcock finished with three goals and two assists for the best offensive output of her career and junior Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and freshman Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) each tallied two goals. Freshman goaltender Clare Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) was solid in net with 12 saves.

Against Denison, the Tigers trailed 9-1 by halftime against the NCAC's second-place team and never seriously threatened the Big Red. Ridgeway, Thomas and Babcock scored goals for the Tigers and Bucheit came up with 16 saves, including 12 in the second half.