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2000 Wittenberg Men's Soccer Press Releases

November 22, 2000-- (10-7-1, 4-5 NCAC--sixth place)-- The Wittenberg University Tigers were very competitive all year, but they never quite found the offensive range. Hence, the Wittenberg selections to all-conference teams were mostly players who helped the Tigers stay in so many close games.

Making the first team was sophomore defensive back Josh Curtis (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) . Tiger Coach Steve Dawson considered Curtis to be invaluable in spearheading a defensive unit that recorded three shutouts.

Earning honorable mention status were freshman forward Steve Doring (Dayton, Ohio/Huber Heights Wayne), junior midfielder Steve Cassiere (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) and junior goalkeeper Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male) .

October 30, 2000-- (10-7-1, 4-5 NCAC--sixth place)-- The Wittenberg Tigers and longtime head coach Steve Dawson rode the rollercoaster throughout the 2000 season but unfortunately pulled into the station at the bottom of the loop after a pair of NCAC losses last week that cost them a shot at the a berth in the first-ever postseason tournament.

The Tigers started off the week with a 3-1 loss on Wednesday at Earlham, another of the eight teams that entered the week battling for tourney bids. As usual, it was the team's struggles on offense that did them in. Wittenberg took 13 shots but managed just one second-half goal - by freshman Greg Zeller (Springfield, Ohio/North) off an assist from junior Steve Cassiere (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) - after spotting the host Quakers two goals.

Then on Saturday, following the annual Homecoming Weekend Alumni Game, the Tigers dropped a heart-breaking 2-0 decision to visiting Denison at Bill Edwards Field. Wittenberg took 18 shots, including 14 in a frenzied second half, but couldn't find the back of the net and lost out on the final NCAC tournament spot. Denison, by virtue of the win, advanced to this week's competition.

The Tigers ended the season with a winning record for the 13th time in Dawson's 18 seasons and the 11th time in the last 12 years. However, the sixth-place finish Wittenberg was relegated to by the two season-ending losses was the Tigers' lowest since joining the NCAC in 1989.

The stage may be set for more good things in 2001, however, as much of the team's nucleus returns. Among them are expected to be starting goaltender Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male), Cassiere and defender Josh Curtis (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), perhaps this defensive-minded team's most valuable player.

October 23, 2000-- (10-5-1, 4-3 NCAC)-- Once again living on the edge, the Tigers pulled back into contention for one of the four NCAC tournament berths with a pair of hard-fought, one-goal victories last week. Wittenberg, which exceeded its win from last year with two still remaining, defeated Kenyon, 3-2, in overtime on Oct. 18 and Hiram, 2-1, on Oct. 21 to improve to 7-2 in one-goal games and 2-2-1 in overtime affairs.

In the victory over the visiting Lords, sophomore Mike Shirilla (Petosky, Mich./Petosky) netted the first goal off a pass from junior Steve Cassiere (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) and senior Matt Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) added a second first half goal off an assist from junior Chad Atwood (Nashport, Ohio/Tri-Valley). But Kenyon rallied for a pair of second half goals to force overtime, which was ended abruptly when freshman Taggart Suddes (Ostrander, Ohio/Dublin Coffman), the team's leading scorer, found the back of the net off an assist from freshman Steve Doring (Dayton, Ohio/Huber Heights Wayne).

On Saturday, the Tigers once again were in a pitched battle, tied 0-0 at halftime. Sophomore Matt Lapish (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./South) netted a goal and an assist, while freshman Tim Fogler (Glen Ellen, Ill./Kenston) added the other tally.

Wittenberg is back at it again this week with a pair of crucial games. The Tigers travel to Richmond, Ind. for a game with Earlham on Wednesday, and then Denison visits Bill Edwards Field on Saturday for Parents Day in a game that could determine who's in and who's out of the NCAC tournament. Seniors Chris Cea (Delaware, OH/Buckeye Valley), Matt Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), Adam Greenwood (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), Andrew Krueger (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and Sam Jodka (Indianapolis, Ind./Park Tudor) will be honored.

October 16, 2000-- (8-5-1, 2-3 NCAC)-- The Tigers started the week well, but they couldnšt keep the momentum going, dropping a crucial NCAC match at Wooster on Oct. 14 after winning on Oct. 10 against visiting Cedarville.

The win over Cedarville was a hard-earned 3-2 in double overtime victory that came only after the Tigers coughed up a 2-0 lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Wittenberg recovered and won in dramatic fashion as senior Matt Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) scored the game-winner with just under one minute remaining.

The Tigers then traveled to Wooster and fell 1-0 to the Scots, also in double overtime. Wittenberg goaltender Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male) again played well, yielding just the one overtime goal to improve his goals against average to a paltry 1.42.

Wittenberg has now played seven games decided by one goal this season, and the Tigers have fared well in those tight affairs with a 5-2 record. To round the 2000 campaign, Wittenberg takes on four straight NCAC opponents. The Tigers probably must win three of the four games to qualify for the NCAC tournament.

October 9, 2000-- (7-4, 2-2 NCAC)-- The Tigers played games last week against teams on opposite ends of the North Coast Athletic Conference spectrum, splitting the pair to put themselves right in the middle of the pack at the midway point of the conference schedule.
Wittenberg dropped a 5-1 decision to nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 4. Junior goaltender Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male) turned away 16 shots by the Battling Bishops to keep the Tigers competitive until the end of the game. Freshman Taggart Suddes (Ostrander, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) scored Wittenberg's lone goal on a breakaway late in the second half.
On Saturday, the Tigers finally broke out of their offensive doldrums, knocking off visiting Wabash, 5-1. Five different Wittenberg players scored goals, including senior Steve Cassiere (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), who contributed a goal and an assist.

October 2, 2000-- (6-3, 1-1 NCAC)-- The Tigers dropped their first two games of the season before rallying to win six straight. During that streak, Wittenberg had won a number of close contests and had generally relied on a stingy defense sprearheaded by senior Chris Cea (Galena, Ohio/Olentangy) and sophomore Josh Curtis (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) to preserve victories.
The winning couldn't last forever and the streak finally came to a halt last week following the sixth win in a row, a 3-2 road triumph over Oberlin in the conference opener.
Wilmington was the first opponent to test the win streak on Wednesday, playing the Tigers to a scoreless draw through regulation and two overtime periods. The two teams, with a combined record at the time of 13-3, left the pitch with a 0-0 tie. Junior goalkeeper Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male) went the whole way, turning away 10 shots by the Quakers to record his second shutout of the season.
On Saturday, the Tigers finally met their match as they were defeated 5-0 at Allegheny. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in the first half before the physical, veteran Gators finally broke out in the second half. Three of the goals were scored in the last 27 minutes of the contest.
Even with the loss, Wittenberg is in the hunt for the NCAC regular season title heading into a very difficult stretch of games, beginning with a Wednesday afternoon encounter with unbeaten and nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan at Bill Edwards Field. The Tigers - who must get better offensive production from a frontline led by freshman Taggart Suddes (Ostrander, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) and his 10 total points - also host Wabash on Saturday.
September 25, 2000-- (6-2, 1-0 NCAC)-- After dropping its first two games of the season - in the Wittenberg Invitational, ironically - the men's soccer team has stormed back to win six straight contests. The Tigers put together their third consecutive perfect week by defeating Muskingum 1-0 on Sept. 19 and then rallying past Oberlin, 3-2, in Wittenberg's NCAC opener on Sunday.
Freshman forward Taggart Suddes (Ostrander, Ohio/Dublin Coffman), already the team's leading scorer, posted a goal in each game. He now has four goals and two assists in seven games as a collegian. He was joined in the scoring column against Oberlin by sophomore Matt Lapish (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) and senior Andrew Krueger (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), who added the goals, while senior Adam Greenwood (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), sophomore Brian Armstrong (Delaware, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) and junior Chad Atwood (Nashport, Ohio/Tri-Valley) contributed the assists.
Junior goaltender Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male), who has posted five wins in six starts this season, turned away six shots in the Oberlin win. Carman recorded his first career shutout in the Muskingum win.

September 18, 2000-- (4-2, 0-0 NCAC)-- Wittenberg ran its modest early season win streak to four over the weekend by winning a pair of thrilling one-goal contests at the Wilmington Kiwanis Classic. The Tigers took the measure of Carthage 2-1 on Friday and then came back to turn a similar trick on Saturday by a 3-2 score against Hope.
Junior Steve Cassiere (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin) had both game-winning goals, and that was enough for NCAC Player of the Week honors. In the win over Carthage, Cassiere knocked in the game-winner with just a few precious seconds remaining on the clock. In the win over Hope, Cassiere found the back of the net for the decisive goal with about four minutes to go in the game.
Junior goalkeeper Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male) also continued his stellar play, running his season record to 4-1 in games he has started with 10 saves in the two games.
Next game 9/19 @ Muskingum

September 12, 2000-- (2-2, 0-0 NCAC)-- After dropping a pair of nailbiters to open the season in the Wittenberg Invitational, the Tigers rebounded with a victory over Urbana, 4-1, on Wednesday and a road win over Rose-Hulman, 3-1, on Saturday. While injuries continue to dog the team, the Tigers appear to be overcoming them as they prepare for several weeks of road games.
In the win versus Urbana, freshman Taggart Suddes (Ostrander, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) got the Tigers on the board near the end of the first half, and then sophomore Josh Hains (Granger, Ind./Clay) tallied the first of his two goals in the game just before halftime. Senior Adam Greenwood (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) assisted on both first-half goals.
Against Rose-Hulman, Wittenberg again jumped out to a two-goal advantage in the first half and held on for the win. Sophomore Brian Armstrong (Delaware, Ohio/Dublin Coffman), had a goal and an assist to pace the offense.
The Tigers' last game of the week at DePauw was cancelled due to inclement weather Sunday in Indiana. It will not be rescheduled.
Next game 9/15-16 @ Wilmington Kiwanis Classic

September 4, 2000-- (0-2, 0-0 NCAC)--The men's soccer team hosted the Wittenberg Invitational at Bill Edwards Field over the weekend but came up short on their home turf. The Tigers dropped their opener 3-0 to Heidelberg after playing the Berg, runner-up in the Ohio Athletic Conference a year ago, to a scoreless draw through halftime.
The Tigers rebounded well the next day against nationally ranked Otterbein, a powerhouse club that returns a strong contingent from a team that finished 19-1-1 in 1999. But Wittenberg came up short in the end, dropping a tough 2-1 overtime decision, despite a game-tying goal from sophomore Matt Lapish (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./South) and some fine goaltending by junior Danny Carman (Louisville, Ky./Male).
Next game 9/6 vs. Urbana at home