Wittenberger dangerous addition to Profs arsenal

As a freshman on any team in college, you expect playing time to be limited because you need time to adjust to a much faster game. For Melanie Wittenberger, a member of the women’s soccer team, it’s a different story.

Wittenberger has become a main player off the bench, substituting in to give starting forwards Veronica Rhea and  Jessica Babice some rest.

“I didn’t really know what to expect coming in,” Wittenberger said.

Wittenberger played her high school career at Seneca High School in Tabernacle, N.J. She then visited Rowan University and was instantly hooked.

“I came and the girls gave me the tour and they seemed like they were really a ‘together’ team like a family,” Wittenberger said. “Bangs [senior Kate Harman] showed me around and she just made it seem so fun. She was cracking jokes with my family and it really made me want to come here.”

It was easy for Wittenberger to establish a relationship with the other forwards early.

“I grew up playing with Ronnie (Rhea),” Wittenberger said. “She lives in South Jersey too, so we played a lot together, and I look up to her and I try to play like her.”

Wittenberger earned the respect from her teammates very early in the season, including Babice and Rhea.

“Mel never stops working on the field,” said Babice, one of the team’s three captains. “She works great with all the forwards and has a knack for the goal. Her work ethic makes me want to work harder.”

“As a new player Mel has worked really hard and picked up our playing style very quickly,” Rhea said. “When she is in the game we don’t skip a beat.”

Wittenberger has already accomplished a lot in her young college career. She was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week in the beginning of October and netted her first college hat trick against St. Joseph’s College in Long Island a couple weeks ago.

As the season winds down, Wittenberger’s experience becomes more valuable to Rowan. With Babice battling a knee injury, Wittenberger could see more and more time on the field.

Rowan is currently ranked 5th in the nation and 1st in the South Atlantic Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. With only one game left for Rowan, the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament and NCAA tournament are just around the corner and there are a few teams looking to knock Rowan off. None of that is lost on Wittenberger.

“We have to come out with confidence,” said Wittenberger. “Every team is going to try and go out there and beat us. We’re the team to beat.”