Ohio Wesleyan 0, Wittenberg 0

Oct. 26, 2007

Freshman goalkeeper Laura VanHoey (Rochester, Mich.) made a game-saving play on a penalty shot in the first overtime period and Ohio Wesleyan went on to play Wittenberg to a scoreless tie in North Coast Athletic Conference action on Friday at Roy Rike Field.

The tie moved Ohio Wesleyan's NCAC record to 4-1-3. Ohio Wesleyan could be seeded second, third or fourth in the upcoming conference tournament. The NCAC's top 2 finishers will host semifinal games in the conference tournament on Tue., Oct. 30, or Wed., Oct. 31.

Wittenberg applied pressure from the opening kickoff, earning a corner kick and then seeing Amanda Farrell's shot hit the post less than a minute into the game.

The Bishop defense again kept the Tigers off the scoreboard in the 30th minute, when Tara Osborne sent a crossing pass into the box. VanHoey came off the goal line to break up the play, but the ball rolled loose for a moment until senior defender Laura Harper (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) cleared it out of the penalty area.

Ohio Wesleyan's best scoring chance of the first half came in the 35th minute, when senior midfielder Meg Smith (Portage, Mich./Northern) lined up for a restart from 30 yards out. Smith served the ball into the box, and it carried to the goal line, where Tiger keeper Meghan O'Rourke grabbed it to maintain the scoreless tie.

Wittenberg had one more good shot in the first half, when Suzanne Medwid ripped a 20-yard blast off a restart that VanHoey snared for a save.

The Bishops threatened early in the second half, with freshman forward Hannah Sterling (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) putting a header on goal that O'Rourke tracked down.

The Tigers had the majority of scoring chances during the remainder of the second half. Wittenberg's best efforts came in the 77th minute, when Farrell's header from point-blank range was blocked by VanHoey; and in the 79th minute, when Corey Shubitowski sent a perfectly-placed crossing pass from the right side to a sliding Farrell, whose redirect at an open net hit the crossbar.

Ohio Wesleyan put together one last rally, working the ball into the Tiger penalty area and getting a shot from sophomore midfielder Brooke Whitesell (Dublin/Scioto) through traffic, but O'Rourke was there for the save with :30 left in regulation.

Just over 90 seconds into the first overtime period, the Bishops were called for a foul in the penalty area. Wittenberg's Lindsey Rusch lined up for a penalty shot, but VanHoey soared high and tipped the ball over the crossbar.

The Bishop defense kept the game alive once more in the second overtime when Amy Meige's shot got past VanHoey but was cleared off the line by senior defender Jessie Seaver (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills).

Wittenberg outshot Ohio Wesleyan, 17-8. VanHoey finished with 7 saves, while O'Rourke had 4 saves in the Tiger cage.

Box Score