2000 Wittenberg Women's Soccer Press Releases
November 22, 2000-- (10-7, 4-4 NCAC--fourth place)-- The Wittenberg women’s soccer team enjoyed one the best seasons in its history, posting double-digit wins for the first time since 1995 and qualifying for the first-ever NCAC postseason tournament after finishing in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference.
To no one’s surprise, Tiger freshman phenom Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) was named Newcomer of the Year for her record-setting performance. She tied the school record for goals in a season with 18 and came within one point of the school’s mark for points in a season with 43.
Joining Woessner on the NCAC first team was senior defensive back Shana Ryan (London, Ohio/London) , who had another great season. She was named to all-conference teams after each of her four seasons.
Making the second team was senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) , who was the team’s second-leading scorer with 26 points this season. Finally, making honorable mention were freshman forward Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and junior midfielder Emily Gersbach (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) .
October 31, 2000-- (10-7, 4-4 NCAC--fourth place)-- The 2000 edition of the Wittenberg University women's soccer team featured a roster of 15 freshman among 20 players. The team was raw, but it also showed flashes of the brilliance that may be to come as it posted the program's first winning record since 1995.
This precocious group of young Tigers also earned the program's first postseason tournament bid, rallying from a 1-4 NCAC record and four straight road losses to finish 4-4 and in a three-way tie for fourth place. Wittenberg was awarded the fourth seed in the first-ever NCAC tournament by virtue of tiebreaker criteria, and ventured to Meadville, Pa. with dreams of upsetting the top-seeded and nationally Allegheny College Gators last Wednesday.
The hallmark of Wittenberg's run to double-digit victories this season was offense, but in this game the Tigers managed few legimate shots at the Allegheny goal. The Gators, meanwhile, chalked up one score in the first four minutes of the game and another in the final four minutes to move into the championship round opposite Ohio Wesleyan University.
For the Tigers, the loss was disappointing but also potentially a springboard for next season. Just two starters, seniors Shana Ryan (London, Ohio/London) and Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn), are not expected to return. Among those who will be back in the fold will be the NCAC's leading scorer, freshman Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood), who tied a school record with 18 goals, along with freshman goaltender Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy), who posted three shutouts this season.
October 23, 2000-- (10-6, 4-4 NCAC)-- Just a few short weeks ago, it didn't seem plausible. A young Wittenberg team that had torn through its pre-NCAC schedule had seemingly peaked with a six-game win streak. Since a high-water mark of 7-1, the Tigers were defeated four straight times on the road to fall to 1-4 in the NCAC.
But the Tigers rallied to win their last three regular season conference games - 4-1 over Earlham on Oct. 11, 1-0 over Oberlin on Oct. 14 and then 6-1 over Hiram on Oct. 21. With Saturday's win at Hiram, the Tigers forged a three-way tie for fourth place at 4-4 with Wooster and Kenyon, and they were awarded the final tournament spot based on a total points tiebreaker. Only the top four teams make it, and the Tigers will head to Meadville, Pa. on Wednesday as the No. 4 seed.
Wittenberg will take on top-seeded Allegheny, which won the regular season title based on tiebreaker criteria as well. The Tigers lost to the Gators, 4-2, on Sept. 30 in Meadville.
Ohio Wesleyan, the second seed, takes on third-seeded Denison in the other semifinal match-up. The first round winners square off on Saturday, Oct. 28 to determine the NCAC's representative in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Wittenberg started last week off on a down note, however. On Senior Day at Bill Edwards Field, the Tigers were beaten by visiting non-conference foe Cedarville 2-1 in overtime. Freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) scored Wittenberg's lone goal late in regulation to force the extra session, but the Yellow Jackets won it with a goal just five minutes into the overtime period.
It was the final home appearance for seniors Shana Ryan (London, Ohio/London), a defensive back who has been named All-NCAC in each of her first three seasons, and Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn), a midfielder and the team's second-leading scorer with 10 goals and six assists in 2000.
The resilient Tigers came right back on Saturday, however, to score six important goals in the NCAC match at Hiram. After a scoreless first half, Woessner turned a hat trick and Estep, freshman forward Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and sophomore midfielder Emily Gersbach (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) all added goals to make up the crucial final scoring margin.
Woessner, who tops the NCAC in scoring, has now tied the Wittenberg record for goals in a season with 18. The record was previously set by Karen Larson in 1993.
October 16, 2000-- (9-5, 3-4 NCAC)-- The Tigers emerged last week from the painful lessons taught to them by four straight conference road losses and won twice to keep their slim NCAC playoff hopes alive. Wittenberg entered the week 1-4 in the conference but mathematically alive for the four-team tournament ‹ and the Tigers put together back-to-back wins over Earlham, 4-1 on Oct. 11, and Oberlin, 1-0 on Oct. 14.
In the win over Earlham, the Tigers fell behind 1-0 before scoring the next four goals in a physical contest. Freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) scored two goals, while senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) contributed two goals of her own and an assist. Sophomore midfielder Emily Gersbach (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) assisted on two of the goals. Still, the win was rather costly as four Wittenberg players left the game with injuries and did not return.
In the win over Oberlin, freshman goalkeeper Jen Biehl (Swanton, Ohio/Swanton) played very well to pick up her first collegiate shutout in just her second start of the season. She was protected by the Tigers¹ solid defensive corps, and Woessner finally knocked home the game-winner in the 85th minute.
Wittenberg steps out of NCAC action this week with a final home appearance at Bill Edwards Field on Thursday. Then the Tigers wrap up their NCAC schedule with a game on Saturday at Hiram.
October 9, 2000-- (7-5, 1-4 NCAC)-- The high hopes of the 2000 season - which were fueled by a six-game win streak - may seem like a distant memory now, but the young Tigers, with 15 freshmen on the 20-player roster, still have a lot to play for heading into the home stretch. Wittenberg hasn't put together a winning season since 1995, when the team went 15-3 overall and 6-2 in the NCAC, and this year's team could still build momentum heading into the season-ending conference tournament, scheduled to begin Oct. 26.
Last week, Wittenberg continued to play well in the midst of the toughest stretch of the 2000 schedule. Since Sept. 30, the Tigers have dropped four straight games to regionally ranked conference opponents on the road. The string started with a 4-2 loss at Allegheny on Sept. 30. It continued last week to include a 1-0 defeat against Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 2, a 4-0 loss to nationally ranked Denison on Oct. 4, and a 2-1 loss to Wooster on Oct. 7.
Senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) was the only Tiger to score a goal. Freshman goaltender Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) and the Wittenberg defensive unit headed by senior Shana Ryan (London, Ohio/London) continued to play well.
October 2, 2000-- (7-2, 1-1 NCAC)-- The Tigers have come a long way in a short time, even with 15 freshmen among its 19 players on the 2000 roster. Wittenberg, coming off a series of sub-par seasons, matched its 1999 win total of seven with a 4-3 victory over visiting Ohio Northern on Thursday.
Freshman forward Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) both put in two goals as the high-scoring Tigers won for the sixth straight time. Junior midfielder Emily Gersbach (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hamilton Badin) and freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) had the assists.
On Saturday, the Tigers suffered their first defeat since the second week of the season against regionally ranked Heidelberg. In their first road NCAC test, Wittenberg dropped a physical, hotly contested 4-2 decision to Allegheny in Meadville, Pa.
The Tigers went down 3-0 in the first half before beginning a rally that just fell short in the end. Wittenberg, which went into the game ranked 10th in the Great Lakes region and moved up to seventh this week, received goals from Estep and Rekers again. The only Wittenberg assist against Allegheny, which is rated No. 4 in the Great Lakes region, was contributed by Woessner.
While she didn't add to her team- and NCAC-leading goal total of 11 last week, Woessner continues to top both in scoring with 29 points. Freshman forward Kate Williston (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) , Rekers and Estep also appear among the conference leaders, while freshman goaltender Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) is also among the league leaders with a 1.58 goals against average.
The Tigers continue the toughest and most important stretch of the season this week when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan tonight, Denison on Wednesday and Wooster on Saturday.
September 25, 2000-- (6-1, 1-0 NCAC)--Going into the week, it was hard to imagine things getting much better for this young and rapidly improving team. The Tigers, with just two seniors and two juniors among their 19 players, entered the week among the NCAC leaders with a 1-0 mark in the league and a 4-1 overall record. To top things off, freshman Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) was honored with NCAC Player of the Week honors for her school record-tying four-goal performance in a 6-1 win over visiting Albion.
But it did get better. The Tigers defeated visiting Capital on Tuesday by a 2-0 count, marking the third shutout of the season for freshman goalkeeper Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy). Freshman forward Kate Williston (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) and senior midfielder Natalie Estep (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn) scored the goals.
Williston was far from done, however. With the score tied 1-1 on Saturday against Hanover, she netted a pair of first-half goals that propelled the Tigers on to a 6-2 victory. Woessner added her 11th goal and fourth assist of the season, freshman Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), junior Emily Gersbach (Cincinnati, Ohio/Hamilton Badin) and freshman Allison Spansky (Munroe Falls, Ohio/Stow) also contributed goals.
For her efforts, Williston joined Woessner as NCAC Player of the Week award-winners.
September 18, 2000-- (4-1, 1-0 NCAC)-- The young Tigers continued their assault on opponents' goals last week with a pair of impressive victories. On Wednesday, Wittenberg opened NCAC action with a home victory against Kenyon, 2-0. Then on Saturday, the Tigers blistered visiting Albion, the 10th ranked team in the region, by a 6-1 count.
Freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) continued her dazzling offensive display, tying a school record with four goals in a game in Saturday's victory. Her efforts earned her NCAC Player of the Week honors.
For the season, Woessner leads the conference with 10 goals and 23 total points. Not far behind in the conference statistics is freshman forward Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), who has five goals and 12 total points.
In the Kenyon win, freshman goaltender Jenny Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) recorded her second straight shutout.
Next game, 9/18 vs. Capital
September 12, 2000-- (2-1, 0-0 NCAC)-- The Tigers kept up the offensive barrage in the second week of the season, falling 4-2 at home to Heidelberg on Tuesday before rebounding for a 7-0 victory at Rose-Hulman on Saturday. Wittenberg opened the season with an 11-1 thrashing of Urbana on Sept. 1.
For the season, the Tigers have scored 20 goals in their first three games, six by freshman Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood). Woessner turned her second hat trick in three games against Rose-Hulman, pouring in three goals. Freshman Jill Rekers (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) added two goals and two assists in the week's games.
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, 9/13 vs. Kenyon
September 4, 2000-- (1-0, 0-0 NCAC)--The Wittenberg women's soccer team got off to a strong start, defeating Urbana 11-1 on Friday. The Tigers, with 17 freshmen on the roster, exploded offensively as nine players scored at least one goal, led by freshman forward Geri Woessner (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood), who tallied three goals and two assists. Wittenberg outshot Urbana 38-3 in the contest.
Next game, 9/5 vs. Heidelberg