OBERLIN, Ohio — It wouldn't be a 2011 Wittenberg women's lacrosse game day without some combination of raindrops and cold temperatures. As usual, the Tigers battled through the elements with aplomb, defeating Oberlin, 16-8, to clinch a berth in next week's four-team North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament.
The win moved the Tigers to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the NCAC, heading into the regular season finale at Allegheny at noon Saturday, April 23. A win against the Gators could push Wittenberg as high as a tie for second place in the final conference standings, while a loss would put the Tigers in a fourth-place tie with Kenyon, which lost at Wittenberg earlier this season.
Wittenberg got off to a strong start with four unanswered goals over the first 13 minutes against the Yeowomen, who dropped to 3-8 overall and 0-6 in the NCAC. By halftime, the Tigers had maintained their four-goal advantage, and they went on to move the advantage out to 10 goals late in the second half.
The Tigers' offense was powered by a trio of three-goal scorers in sophomoresKellen Morrissey (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) and Erin Guiliano (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) and junior Jenn Close (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest). A total of eight Tigers scored goals in the game and six players contributed assists, led by freshman Nicolette Lyons (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) with a pair.
Wittenberg outshot the host team 41-18 and picked up seven more ground balls and two more draw controls. Senior Maggie Amorello (Sutton, Mass./Worcester Academy) led the way with four ground balls and tied for the top spot in draw controls with five. Morrissey shared that draw control total and also led in caused turnovers with three.