Tigers Drop Back-And-Forth Game To Ohio Northern, 11-9

SPRINGFIELD, OH - Wittenberg Women's Lacrosse battled the elements and visiting Ohio Northern for almost three hours before settling for a hard-fought 11-9 nonconference loss in a game played at a soggy Edwards-Maurer Field.

The two teams were originally scheduled to play on Wednesday, April 2, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather in the area. The conditions weren't substantially better 24 hours later as the game was played in a steady downpour, and it was even stopped early in the fourth quarter due to lightning.

The Tigers took a 3-1 lead into the second quarter, and after Ohio Northern rallied back Wittenberg closed the half with two games in the final 1:17, including a goal by Jarya Hassell (Bellrbook, OH / Bellbrook) with just one second left on the clock. The Polar Bears dominated the third quarter and turned the game in their favor, and the Tigers would get no closer than two goals over the final 15 minutes.

Wittenberg's offense was led by Hannah Peterson (Cedarville, OH / Cedarville) with four goals and one assist and Essence Wyse (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy) with two goals. Hassell added one goal and one assist, and Sophia Meek (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange) and Aubrey Stager (Saline, MI / Saline) rounded things out with one score each.

At the other end of the pitch, Sidney Sheridan (Columbus, OH / Bishop Hartley) finished with 11 saves on 22 shots directed on goal by the Polar Bears. Stager led the Tigers in ground balls with six, while Sheridan, Peterson, and Alyssa Burnside (Galloway, OH / Hilliard Bradley) each contributed four ground balls in the game. Stager also was a standout in the caused turnovers category with seven, and Grace Kennedy (Dublin, OH / Coffman) was the long Wittenberg to record more than one caused turnover.

With the loss, which snapped a two-game win streak, Wittenberg stands at 4-5 on the season, while ONU improved to 8-4. The rest of the 2025 schedule is all North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponents, starting with a road trip to DePauw on Tuesday, April 8.