Melissa Jackson
The 2005 Wittenberg University women's lacrosse team has already matched its win total from all of the 2004 season. With that out of the way, the Tigers now set their sights on greater achievements the rest of the season, starting Saturday at Lynchburg.
Wittenberg started the season with a 16-8 victory over Roger Williams College in a game played in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The Tigers captured a commanding 8-1 halftime lead and then cruised home with eight more second-half goals. Sophomore Melissa Jackson (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) was the offensive star as she scored seven goals, two in the first half and five in the second, and added two assists for nine total points. The school record for goals in a game is nine, and Jackson's total of seven ties her with four other players for the second-highest total in school history.
Senior Jenny Burns (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) added two first-half goals and three assists, sophomore Kari Thomas (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) finished with four goals, sophomore Michelle Hanners (New Albany, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls)contributed one goal and one assist, freshman Amber Cupples (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) opened her collegiate career with two goals and three assists and freshman Alison Voigt (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) rounded things out with an assist. In goal, the Tigers got a solid performance from sophomore Clare Bucheit (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), who turned away 13 shots.
The next day, Wittenberg came back to earth in a 15-2 loss to sixth-ranked Cortland State, the defending champion of the State University of New York Athletic Conference. Bucheit made 20 saves in the game for Wittenberg, compared to two saves for her Cortland State counterpart. Wittenberg's goals came from Thomas and Burns, both in the second half after the Tigers fell behind 9-0 by halftime.
Wittenberg capped its week in Florida with a 12-6 victory over Gordon.
The Tigers took a 6-2 lead into the halftime break and then finished up strong with six more goals in the second half. Hanners and Burns each found the back of the net three times in the game, while Jackson and Thomas added a pair of scores each. Cupples and freshman Emine Cirpili (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) also scored goals. Junior Emily Hiscar (Pataskala, Ohio/Watkins Memorial) finished with two assists to lead the Tigers.