TIFFIN, Ohio - With howling winds Friday afternoon at the Paradiso Athletic Complex, Tiffin (3-4, 3-3) allowed a goal in the fourth minute and the Ohio Dominican (5-1, 4-1) defense held in a 1-0 win.
While Tiffin led the Panthers in both total shots (18-9) and shots on goal (10-4), it was the first shot of the game by ODU that proved the difference. Tiffin was led by Ashton Campbell with five shots, three of which were on target. TU goalie Jeff Frisch grabbed three saves in four shots faced.
For Ohio Dominican, Liam Fitzgerald scored at the 3:10 on a touch by Andrew Edler. In goal, Ohio Dominican's Tyler Gleason grabbed eight saves while the Panthers' defense added two more.
Tiffin put all of its shots on goal while only two of seven were on target for Ohio Dominican in the first half, but it was the Panthers who managed to find the back of the net. In the game's fourth minute, a touch on the right side by ODU's Edler found teammate Fitzgerald wide open in the front of the net to put Ohio Dominican up 1-0.
The winds, which were gusting up to 40 miles per hour, wreaked havoc the whole game. A cross by Ohio Dominican's Felix Darko in the 10th minute kept sailing but nicked the bottom of the crossbar into Frisch's hands.
Ashton Campbell had a pair of opportunities to tie the game in the first half, but both times the Panthers held. At 34 minutes, Campbell found an opening on the right side, but his shot was grabbed by Gleason. Campbell tried from the left side just seven minutes later, but once again, Gleason was able to corral the ball.
Ryan Johnstone also had a golden opportunity from the right side in the first half. His shot to the left side of the goal caught the goalie on the wrong side of the net, but the ODU defense was right in position for the team save.
The Dragons outshot the Panthers 13-2 in the second half, including 9-2 in shots on goal, but the Ohio Dominican defense did not give up the game-tying goal. Matthew Moceri put two of three shots on target in the second half, including a header that was knocked away by the ODU defense with less than five minutes remaining. Tiffin tallied the final six shots of the game in the final seven minutes, but five went wide of the goal to keep the Panthers on top.
Tiffin returns to action Friday when it steps out of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play to take on Mercyhurst. Kickoff in Erie, Pa. is scheduled for 1 p.m.
