OWENSBORO, Ky. - The 25th-ranked Tiffin University men's soccer team was in prime position to get three points on the road Thursday night and held a 3-1 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining, but Kentucky Wesleyan found the back of the net twice in a 1:09 span and the Dragons were forced to settle for a 3-3 result.
Tiffin fell behind 1-0 early as Kentucky Wesleyan capitalized on a corner kick in the ninth minute, but the Dragons were able to find the equalizer as Garbhan Feeney converted a penalty kick in the 33rd minute to give Tiffin a momentum boost going into halftime.
The second half was mostly dominated by the Dragons until the Panthers rallied late. Noah Purtz and Zach Garcia assisted on Callum Ellington's goal in the 60th minute, which put Tiffin on top 2-1. In the 79th minute, Garcia scored an unassisted goal off a corner to make it 3-1.
However, the Panthers were able to score twice late and tie the game in the 84th minute against a normally strong TU defense. The game-tying goal came off a free kick a few feet outside the box and tonight marked the first time the Dragons have allowed a goal in the second half this season.
The Dragons looked to steal the game back late but came up empty. Garcia and Oliver Spinks both had shots blocked in the 88th minute, and the Dragons were unable to capitalize on the ensuing corner kick.
Nick Cherry played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded two saves.
The Dragons outshot the Panthers 20-9, but both teams were limited with their shots on goal as KWC recorded five to Tiffin's four. TU also attempted six corners to KWC's one.
The Dragons (6-1-5, 5-0-3 G-MAC) will play the middle game of their three-game road trip on Saturday at Cedarville at 1 p.m. in what is set up to be a massive conference showdown with both teams entering the matchup with 18 conference points.
