Round Up: Tigers Overcome Injurys To Take Back-To-Back NCAC Wins
The Wittenberg men’s soccer team is playing as well right now as it has all season, despite a spate of injuries that have forced Head Coach Steve Dawson to get creative with his lineup. The Tigers have captured back-to-back home victories over Kenyon and Denison in the last 10 days to open the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule with a 2-0 record for the second straight year.
|
The Wittenberg men's soccer team is playing as well right now as it has all season, despite a spate of injuries that have forced Head Coach Steve Dawson to get creative with his lineup. The Tigers have captured back-to-back home victories over Kenyon and Denison in the last 10 days to open the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule with a 2-0 record for the second straight year.
Overall, the Tigers now stand 5-3-3 heading into a relatively quiet week that includes just one game at Oberlin on Saturday. It is a much-needed respite as the team tries to heal up several key players in preparation for what could be an exciting stretch run to the 2005 season.
Offensively, this year's edition of Wittenberg men's soccer is putting up big numbers, scoring 19 goals in the first 11 games, including a four-goal outburst during the first half of Friday night's win over Denison. Several different players have gotten into the act, most recently sophomore forward Joe Zeller (Springfield, Ohio/North), who scored the first two goals of the game against the Big Red.
Freshman midfielder Matt Borland (Kettering, Ohio/Alter) leads the Tigers with five goals, five assists and 15 total points. He has gotten stronger and stronger as the season has progressed, stepping up his play at a time when the Tigers need him most.
Freshman Mike Conley (Xenia, Ohio/Beavercreek) and Zeller are second on the team with three goals each. Conley is second on the team with seven total points.
Defensively, the Tigers have had their struggles, allowing 18 goals through 11 games, but junior goalkeeper Adam Horrocks (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) has played well for the most part behind a youthful defensive front. Horrocks has made 10 of the 11 starts and has recorded three shutouts, most recently in a 2-0 NCAC-opening win on Sept. 24 against Kenyon.