Tigers Ending the Season Powerfully, Entering NCAC Tournament With The Same Power

Jill Hobelman

Ashley Smith

This is exhibit A on how to finish the season with a bang. Ten goals in two games last week, while conceding just one, earned the Tigers both the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship and an NCAC semifinal victory over Oberlin. The top-seeded Tigers, who are ranked No. 14 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association national poll and No. 1 in the Midwest Region, moved into the NCAC tournament title game against Wooster on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Wittenberg started off with a 6-1 win over Ohio Wesleyan on Senior Recognition Night on Oct. 29, a game that was televised by Time Warner Cable twice during the week. For the second time this season, senior forward Emily Duh (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) scored four goals in a game against the Battling Bishops. Her offensive barrage came after the Tigers had fallen behind 1-0 early in the game.

The Tigers opened the first-ever NCAC tournament with a 4-0 defeat of Oberlin last Tuesday. Duh scored a goal in the game and was joined on the scoresheet by junior forward Katie Babcock (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney). Senior defender Jill Hobelman (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne) and sophomore forward Ashley Smith (Pittsford, NY/Mendon) both scored their first goal of the season.

The Tigers dominated the game against Oberlin, outshooting the Yeowomen 15-9 with seven different players taking shots at the goal. Duh hammered four of them and Rebecca Russ (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) took three others. It was another solid all-around team performance for the Tigers, who hope to keep that momentum for the NCAC title game and possibly the NCAA Division III tournament, which begins next week at regional sites around the nation.

Duh is now tied for third in the country with 54 points, a total that ranks first in Wittenberg history for points in a season and second in conference history in that statistical category. She is also fourth in the country with 23 goals, and her point and goal totals both lead the NCAC. In addition, the defense has done its job exceedingly well. The team defense is ranked eighth in the nation for goals against (12 in 19 games). Sophomore goalkeeper Jen Meyer (Solon, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) is seventh nationally in goals against average (0.64) and she is eighth in save percentage of 89.7 percent. As a team, the Tigers set a school record with just seven goals against in 12 NCAC games.