Tigers Grab Key NCAC Win At Hiram

Amy Cook

HIRAM, Ohio — The Wittenberg Tigers climbed above the .500 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) with a thorough 3-0 shutout of host Hiram.

The Tigers improved to 7-5-1 with their third straight win in a seven-day span. More importantly, Wittenberg is now 2-1 in the NCAC, while Hiram fell to 0-3 to go along with a 3-8-1 overall mark.

Wittenberg dominated from the outset, scoring a first-half goal at the 12:01 mark and putting the game out of reach with second-half goals at 49:20 and 72:50. Along the way, the Tigers outshot the host Terriers, 21-4, and made the most of six corner kick opportunities. Hiram did not attempt a corner kick in the game.

Senior Taylor Goss (Sandy Spring, Md./Friends School) got the Tigers on the board with the goal in the first half, and freshman Cassie Howell (Batavia, Ohio/Glen Este) capped the scoring with a pair of second-half tallies. Junior Amy Cook (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby) assisted on the first goal with a well-played corner kick, while junior Kailey Striebel (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont) assisted on the final goal.

The Tiger defense recorded its sixth shutout of the 2011 campaign, with junior goalkeeper Melissa Gartner (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) contributing three saves to the effort.

Wittenberg now has a week off before starting a string of NCAC games with a road trip to Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, Oct. 15.