SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers couldn't keep the ball rolling Saturday in their North Coast Athletic Conference opener against Allegheny College, falling 14-9.

The Tigers got off to a great start, rallying after a goal by Allegheny just 16 seconds into the game to score four straight goals. After an Allegheny timeout, however, the Gators woke up and thoroughly outplayed the Tigers, scoring the next 10 goals over a span of more than 30 minutes. Wittenberg, which dropped to 3-6 overall and 0-1 in the conference, scored several goals late in the game in a futile effort to catch up.

Freshman Lizzie Amorello scored four goals and junior Melissa Jackson added three tallies to go along with an assist. Sophomore Amber Cupples finished with a goal and two assists, while senior Emily Hiscar chipped in with three assists. Freshman Katie Radeackar rounded things out with a goal.

Defensively, the Tigers struggled without senior co-captain Ann Lutz, who missed the game due to a death in the family. Allegheny utilized its quickness to finish plays time and again, with four different players ending up with three goals apiece. Wittenberg's freshman goalkeeper Melissa Sedziol made 10 saves in the game as she faced 30 Allegheny shots, compared to 23 for Wittenberg.