Her third goal began with the assistance of senior Caroline Torie. Torie corralled the ball just beyond the circle, then passed it off to fellow senior, Bridgette Shamleffer. Shamleffer saw an all-too-familiar face in front of the goal - Margaret Ellis.
Ellis, a senior, flicked her wrists for her third goal of the game, on the way to a 6-0 route of Wittenberg University at Blackstock West Field on Wednesday evening. The matchup was the first NCAC field hockey game of the season for DePauw (2-1, 1-0 NCAC) and Wittenberg (0-3, 0-1 NCAC).
"It's always the best way to start off the season," Ellis said. "It tells the other teams we are ready to go, makes them a little nervous and proves we are going to bring it for the rest of the season."
The Tigers offense got on the board early with two goals in less than five minutes. Sophomore Paige Henry scored only 46 seconds into the game with an assist by sophomore Maggie Campbell.
Wittenberg's defense struggled to clear the ball, and three minutes later, Ellis found the net with an assist from junior midfielder Chelsea Cutler off a penalty corner.
Ellis then assisted Shamleffer in the goal with less than five minutes to go in the first half.
"I get excited when we have assisted goals," Head Coach Gina Wills said. "It means they are joining on offense and looking to create opportunities for each other to score."
DePauw returned to the field after half time with a 3-0 lead. Ellis connected for her second goal 32 seconds in with an assist by freshman Grace Goodbarn. The Tigers didn't let up on defense either as they held Wittenberg to zero shots on goal through the entire game.
"I like to say defense wins the game, and offense tells you by how many," Ellis said. "Our defenders tonight made it possible for us to fight on offense as aggressively as we did."
Ellis came back for round three, putting DePauw up 5-0 on the scoreboard with an assist from Shamleffer. Wittenberg continued to struggle against DePauw's strong passes and widespread offense. Freshman Grace Flickinger scored on an assist from sophomore Kylie Maloney with six seconds left in the game. Wittenberg's goalie had nine saves but was no match for the Tiger offense as they walked off the field 3-1 on the season.
The team travels Saturday to St. Louis to face Rhodes College at 2 p.m.