It was a Tiger vs. Tiger battle this past Wednesday when the Wittenberg Men’s Lacrosse Team proved to DePauw University that there is only room for one Tiger team in the NCAC.
As Wittenberg won, in dominant fashion, 20-5, at Edwards-Maurer Field to conclude the team’s final home game of the regular season.
DePauw took shot after shot as Wittenberg’s offense came to life towards the conclusion of the first quarter.
Wittenberg started off hot by scoring the first goal of the game, but DePauw wouldn’t let the momentum continue for long when the team took an early 2-1 lead.
With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Wittenberg seemed to find the spark that they needed by scoring four unanswered goals.
Going into the second quarter, Wittenberg came out with a chip on the team’s shoulder by rattling off four more shots creating eight unanswered goals as Genrald Coyle, ‘19, and Austin Brady, ‘17, scored the final two of the second to give Wittenberg a 9-2 lead.
DePauw was desperate, taking any shot the it could get when it finally scored an unassisted goal.
It didn’t take long for Wittenberg’s offense to, once again, make DePauw regret stepping on the field with them that day. The home Tigers then went on a stretch that saw five unanswered goals, as Jack Strahm, ‘19, and Noah Moderwell, ‘20, capped off the run, giving Wittenberg a 14-3 lead at the start of the third quarter.
Wittenberg capitalized on the large lead by playing physical and smart defense, causing DePauw to play an overly aggressive style of offense which caught Wittenberg’s defense off guard, allowing two goals.
However, Wittenberg made the necessary adjustments and scored two goals of its own, creating a 16-5 lead to end the third quarter.
The fourth quarter saw nothing but Wittenberg showing why it was the better team on that day by shutting out DePauw and scoring four times in the fourth quarter.
Zach Shy, ‘17, and Creighton Stephens, ‘17, capped off the quarter giving the team a 20-5 victory. DePauw had a season-low five goals, as Wittenberg proved why it is a force to be reckoned with when it comes time for the NCAC tournament.
Shy led all scorers in the game with four goals for Wittenberg, while seven other Tigers were able to find the net. Witt dominated in shots on goal, turnovers, face-offs and assists. Wittenberg Men’s Lacrosse Team plays next on the road against the Wabash Little Giants on April 18.
