Rally Falls Short As Tigers Drop 12-9 Decision To Mount Union

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers saw their four-game win streak snapped as 20th-ranked Mount Union held off a late charge to capture a 12-9 road victory.

The loss dropped Wittenberg to 5-2 on the season, while Mount Union remained perfect at 9-0. The Purple Raiders have now defeated four North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opponents in the 2015 season.

After Wittenberg opened the scoring, Mount Union responded with five straight goals to take command of the game. By halftime, the Purple Raider advantage was 6-2, and over the course of the first seven minutes of the second half, the bulge grew to 10-4.

The Tigers staged a rally from that point, finally gaining possession with some consistency and parlaying the increased offensive opportunities into five goals over the final 20:02. Mount Union responded with a pair of scores, however, and the Purple Raiders melted the final two minutes off the clock without attempting a shot.

For the game, Mount Union had the advantage in possession but Wittenberg finished with a 33-26 edge in shots. The Purple Raiders held statistical advantages in two key categories - ground balls (21-10) and draw controls (14-9).

Individually, Wittenberg's offense was paced by sophomore Becca Joseph (Toledo, Ohio/St. Ursula) with two goals and three assists. Freshman Victoria Zysik (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) and junior Olivia Lash (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) added two goals apiece, while senior Beth Hubbard (West Hartford, Conn./Notre Dame de Sion (Mo.)), junior Carrie Kubasta (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and senior Logan Warye (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) added one score each.

Warye stuffed the stats sheet with three ground balls, three draw controls and three caused turnovers, and Kubasta finished with two ground balls, three draw controls and two caused turnovers. In goal, junior Katie Reuter (Cleveland, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) was credited with five saves.

Written By: Ryan Maurer