In Home Opener, Tigers Look Like New Team, Win Big Over St. Vincent

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers have a new lease on life and it showed in their home opener Saturday. The Tigers recorded their first win of the 2006 season with a 11-4 domination of visiting St. Vincent. 

Wittenberg improved to 1-5 on the still-young season. The Tigers had lost their first five games by an average of eight goals per game, but they appeared rejuvenated on the Edwards-Maurer Field turf, controlling the ball well in the offensive end and coming up with key stops on defense as well.

Freshman Melissa Sedziol made her first start in goal for the Tigers and she played well, turning away six shots. At the other end of the field, junior Melissa Jackson led the Tigers in scoring for the fifth time in six games this season, matching her season-high three goals. Her offensive outburst was ably backed by freshman Lizzie Amorello, freshman Katie Radeackar and sophomore Amber Cupples with two goals each and single tallies from juniors Kari Thomas and Michelle Hanners. Hanners, Cupples and senior captain Emily Hiscar finished with two assists apiece, while Amorello rounded out the scoring with a single helper.

Wittenberg, which was playing its third game under interim head coach Diana Kuser, took a commanding lead in the game, scoring the first three goals of the game and taking an 8-2 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Tigers led the game 10-2 for much of the second half before St. Vincent scored two in the closing minutes. Radeackar's goal with 48 seconds left provided the final margin.