This past Saturday, the Tigers couldn’t be stopped from scoring as Edwards-Maurer Field played host to Wittenberg’s Men’s Lacrosse Team’s fifth win of the season. The Tigers continued its winning streak by beating the Oberlin Yeomen in dominate fashion with a score of 20-8.
The 1 p.m. game started with Oberlin winning the opening faceoff and attempting to drive down the field to put the first points on the board, but senior goalie Aaron Blossey wouldn’t allow that to happen, blocking the first shot of the game. Not even a minute later, senior Zach Shy, with the help of freshman Noah Moderwell, put the first point on the board by scoring on the Yeomen, and moments later, the pair had done the same thing again, putting the Tigers up 2-0 two minutes into the first quarter. Things were looking good for the Tigers’ offense as the first quarter ended with the Tigers at an 8-2 lead and Shy with a hat trick.
The second quarter started the same way as the first had, with Shy scoring yet another goal. Oberlin’s offense was determined to catch up with the Tigers by scoring back-to-back goals before the Tigers were able to respond with a pair of goals by sophomore Jack Strahm and senior Creighton Stephens. Oberlin’s offense was hungry to keep scoring, but Blossey stayed strong, managing to block six of the nine shots that came his way. Going into halftime, the Tigers had a 11-5 lead.
“Oberlin played hard,” Blossey said. “They took a lot of shots on goal, but they weren’t the smartest of shots. My defense played a great game, and they got me the shots that any goalie wants to see.”
The third quarter started, and the Tigers were ready to build upon the lead the group had already created for themselves. The team’s offense was running on all cylinders, and the fans were loving every second of it.
After the Tigers scored goal number 13, the crowd broke out in a banana chant to celebrate. Wittenberg’s defense was playing a great game, but the team’s aggressive style of play had led to several penalties, which caused the Yeomen to score an easy goal. However, Strahm quickly made up for that goal by scoring back-to-back points and recording the teams second hat trick of the day. At the end of the third, Wittenberg was up 17-6.
The fourth quarter soon began, and it seemed like the Tigers had already won the game. Oberlin was trying to make up for lost time by taking any shot that the team could, causing them to slip two shots past Blossey, who managed to stop seven of nine shots. The Tigers offense was playing fast and hungry, causing them to score three more times on the Yeomen, ending the game with a 20-8 win.
“We had a few minor hiccups in the second quarter, but for the most part we played our game and took care of business,” Bret Whitehead, senior captain, said. “I think the hard work up and down the field paid off.”
When the dust settled and the clock struck zero, Wittenberg proved to be more than what Oberlin could handle. With Wittenberg’s win, the team will look to build upon its success and continue its winning streak by taking on Denison on April 1.
