Wittenberg University Men's Soccer To Host Annual Invitational Tournament

Nick Hauff (red, No. 4) gives chase and Ben McAnnis-Entenman prepares to pounce during a 2004 game against Muskingum.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg University men's soccer season kicks off this weekend with the annual Wittenberg Invitational Tournament at newly renovated Edwards-Maurer Field. The games on Saturday will be the first varsity sporting events to be played on the new $1 million artificial playing surface.

Two games will be played on both Saturday and Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. each day. Joining the host Tigers in this years Wittenberg Invitational are Ohio Dominican University, John Carroll University and Otterbein College. Games begin on Saturday as Wittenberg hits the field against Otterbein at 1 p.m., followed by John Carroll against Ohio Dominican at 3 p.m. Otterbein and Ohio Dominican are Sundays 1 p.m. match-up, a game that will be followed by Wittenberg and John Carroll at 3 p.m.

The Tigers have a young team in 2005, but expectations are still high that a return to regional prominence and North Coast Athletic Conference title contention is just around the corner again. The Tigers finished with a 7-11 overall record in 2004, including a mark of 4-5 in the rugged NCAC, the third straight year they finished below the .500 mark and just barely on the outside looking in at the four-team NCAC Tournament field. In 2005, Wittenberg has 12 letterwinners, including nine starters, back in the fold and a promising freshman class ready to bolster the effort.

The three teams joining the Tigers in the 2005 Wittenberg Invitational will provide strong competition. Ohio Dominican has fielded a top-quality NAIA scholarship program for years, and the Panthers, the 2004 Wittenberg Invitational champions, are coming off a 15-7 overall record that included a berth in the regional championship game. Otterbein, the 2002 NCAA Division III runner-up and 2003 Wittenberg Invitational champion, is a perennial title contender in the challenging Ohio Athletic Conference coming off a respectable 9-6-1 record in 2004. John Carroll is also an OAC powerhouse that is coming off a 9-6 record in 2004, a year after reaching the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals with a 17-3 record.

Steve Dawson returns to Wittenberg this year for his 23rd season as Wittenberg mens soccer head coach with a career record of 222-161-17. He ranks 34th among active coaches in victories in NCAA Division III.

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