Tigers Secure NCAC Tournament Spot With Win On Senior Night

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg women's soccer team celebrated the departure of six seniors with a 2-0 win over North Coast Athletic Conference rival Wooster on Saturday evening on their home pitch of Edwards-Maurer Field.

Before the game, the Tigers honored the years of hard work from defenders Mackenzie Bolon (Columbus, Ohio/Bexley), Zoe Curry (Milford, Ohio/Ursuline), midfielder Kaylee Gialamas (Willoughby, Ohio/Hawken), forward Kate Burns (Granger, Ind./Penn), forward Jessica Sinclair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and goalkeeper Maggie Grieser (St. Paris, Ohio/Graham).

Wittenberg started the scoring 36 minutes into the first half with an unassisted goal by Burns, who finished a flurry in front of the Wooster goal with a low, right-footed shot. Multiple scoring chances kept the Tigers on the attack through halftime, but the Tigers did not break through again.

The Tigers found their way on to the scoreboard for a second time at the 81:15 mark with a goal by junior Michelle Brunswick (Middletown, Ohio/Madison) off a pass from sophomore Julia Smith (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington). For the game, the Tigers outshot the Scots 14-5 and led Wooster 4-2 in corner kicks.

Grieser recorded two saves earning the win, before giving the way for sophomore Alexa Murrietta (Las Vegas, Nev./Shadow Ridge) to complete the shutout over the last three minutes.

The win took the Tigers to 10-5-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), and it propelled Wittenberg into a third-place tie with Kenyon in the final NCAC standings. The Tigers will be the No. 4 seed in the NCAC Tournament, and they are slated to travel to Greencastle, Ind., on Wednesday, Nov. 4, to face top-seeded DePauw in the semifinals.

Written By: AJ Meyer '15