Tiger Men’s Lacrosse Edged Out by Wabash, 8-7

SPRINGFIELD, OH – An evenly played contest, Wittenberg Men's Lacrosse matched visiting Wabash goal by goal but suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the final minutes as the Little Giants scored with just over three minutes remaining to break the tie and secure the 8-7 victory in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) match at Edwards-Maurer Field, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex. 

Trailing 7-6 going into the final period, Wittenberg's Andrew Owen (Springfield, OH / Springfield) found the goal unassisted to tie things at 7-all. Wabash then hit the winning goal, seven minutes later at the 3:05 mark, to claim its fourth victory of the season and break a six-game losing streak. It was also the first NCAC victory for Wabash, now 4-10 overall and 1-4 in the conference. With the loss, Wittenberg drops to 1-12 overall and 0-6 in the NCAC.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-1 advantage in the first period and stretched it to 3-1 early in the second. However, Wabash outscored the Tigers in the second, 2-1, and left things tied at 3-3 after two were in the books. After a fairly lengthy lightning delay, Wabash put a four-spot on the board in the third, while holding Wittenberg to three goals to take a 7-6 lead. Each team scored one in the fourth, with Witt coming shy of another goal, allowing Wabash to tally the 8-7 victory. 

Tripp Salowich (Plymouth, MI / Canton), who has been a dominant force on offense of late, turned in another hat trick to lead the Tigers in scoring. He had 10 shots, five on goal, three ground balls, and one caused turnover. Mikey Clark (Hilliard, OH / Davidson) had two goals, four shots, three on goal, and four ground balls. Clay Habben (Shawnee, KS / Shawnee Mission Northwest) and Owen had the other Tiger goals. Ty Harris (Cincinnati, OH / Sycamore) had an assist in the game and led the team in shots with 13, seven on goal. He also had four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Colten Simkins (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) led the team in ground balls with eight, Quentin Rudolph (Grand Rapids, MI / Forest Hills Central) added five, and Charlie Frederick (Chagrin Falls, OH / Chagrin Falls) added four more.

Goalkeeper Griffin Howell (Whitestown, IN / Zionsville Community) had 14 saves on the night.

Team Comparison

• Wittenberg had 7 goals, 1 assist, 44 shots, 23 on goal, 39 ground balls, and 12 caused turnovers.
• Wabash tallied 8 goals, four assists, 36 shots, 22 on goal, 22 ground balls, and 12 caused turnovers.
• Wittenberg was 16-for-19 in clears, while Wabash was 20-for-24. In face-offs won, Wabash was 1-of-17 and Wittenberg was 16-of-17. Wittenberg also had 24 turnovers, while Wabash had 20.

Up Next

Witt will travel to Albion on April 19 for a noon match. 

 Written By: Cindy Holbrook