WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College field hockey team (0-3, 0-2) was defeated by the Wittenberg Tigers (2-4, 1-1) with a final score of 5-0. This marked the first time that Alexandre Stadium hosted a W&J varsity field hockey game.
The Tigers got out to a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. The Presidents held off three Wittenberg shots prior to the first score of the game. Following back-to-back shots from the W&J offense to open the second quarter, Wittenberg responded with three goals prior to the halftime break, 4-0.
Out of the break, the Tigers scored their final score of the conference contest at the 2:38 mark of the third quarter. W&J worked a corner at the end of the period but did not manage to connect on a shot.
The Presidents compiled their most productive quarter of the morning, earning three corners in the fourth.
Jessica Nakanishi (Susanville, Calif./Lassen) fired a shot on goal that was saved by the Wittenberg goalkeeper. Both units held strong through the remainder of the match, dropping the 5-0 verdict to the North Coast Athletic Conference opponent.
Cara Ippisch (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood) and
Megan Brackney (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) accounted for the other shots off the sticks of W&J players.
Grace Erhard (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) played all 60 minutes in goal and compiled 17 saves. With that output, Erhard surpassed 200 career saves during the contest. She becomes just the fifth goalkeeper in program history to reach the milestone.
The Presidents return to action at Alexandre Stadium on Sunday (Sept. 20) for a 12:00 p.m. matchup with the Transylvania Pioneers.
