WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — For the second straight game to open the 2011 season, the Wittenberg Tigers got off to a fast start and cruised to a victory. This time the victim was Gwynedd-Mercy, which fell behind by 10 goals before halftime as the Tigers picked up a 15-4 Spring Break victory.
While the statistical storyline was eerily similar, the setting for the two wins over Fontbonne on March 5 and Gwynedd-Mercy on March 8 couldn't have been more different. Wittenberg slogged through steady rains and temperatures in the 40s on their home turf in the opener before heading to Florida for a game played in sunshine and warm temperatures in West Palm Beach.
Against Fontbonne, the Tigers actually allowed the first goal before taking control and racing out to a 10-2 lead by the intermission. Against Gwynedd-Mercy, Wittenberg scored nine unanswered goals over the first 20 minutes of the game before allowing its opponent to break through. However, the Tigers bounced right back to score twice after Gwynedd-Mercy's goal, including an unassisted tally just before the horn by freshman Nicolette Lyons (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest).
Over the final 30 minutes, Head Coach Nichole Johnson emptied her bench to give her entire team much-needed game action. The Tigers still outscored Gwynedd-Mercy by a narrow 4-3 margin.
Wittenberg's offense was powered by junior Jenn Close (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) with three goals. Three other players found the back of the net twice in the game — Lyons, sophomore Erin Guiliano (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) and seniorJordan Beauchamp (Noblesville, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern). FreshmanFrancine Murzynski (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic) was one of six Tigers to score one time in the game, but Murzynski added three assists.
Murzynski also finished with a game-high five ground balls, followed by Guiliano with three. Murzynski also led in the caused turnovers department with three.