TIFFIN, Ohio – After earning a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed, the Tiffin University men's soccer team is set for a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Semifinal matchup against Findlay on Thursday afternoon, November 5. Thursday marks the second year in a row that the 224 rivals will meet in the tournament semifinals. The game will take place in Painesville, Ohio, at Campus Field on the campus of Lake Erie College at 4 p.m.
Fans can follow the Tiffin and Findlay semifinal matchup by following live stats or watching on FloCollege.
The winner of the two semifinal games will face off in the championship game on Saturday, November 7 at 4 p.m. in the same location.
SCOUTING NO. 1 LAKE ERIE (11-4-3, 10-2-2): The Storm earned the top seed and the right to host after defeating Tiffin 4-0 in the regular season finale on October 27. Lake Erie is fourth in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Midwest Region rankings and is listed fifth in the NCAA Super Region 3 NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings.
Offensively, the Storm are led by Cal Babiash's five goals while Nicolas Vagujhelyi has recorded five goals and five assists for a team-high 15 points. Veljko Radovanovic has chipped in with four goals and six assists for 14 points, while Alex Banjac has added five goals and one assist.
Defensively, goalkeeper Patrick Bassett anchors a strong defense. He has posted a 10-2-2 record and has recorded nine shutouts. As a team, Lake Erie has allowed the fewest goals in the conference with 15 while scoring the most goals offensively with 36.
Lake Erie also boasts a 6-1-1 record at home and enters the tournament on a six-game winning streak. Lake Erie Stats
SCOUTING NO. 2 TIFFIN (9-3-6, 8-2-4): The Dragons face unfamiliar territory entering the tournament. This year snapped a streak of four straight G-MAC regular season titles for TU. The Dragons are listed fifth in the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region rankings and are listed sixth in the NCAA Super Region 3 NCAA Power Index rankings.
Tiffin is led offensively by Garbhan Feeney and Zach Garcia. Both have recorded five goals while Feeney leads the team in both points (17) and assists (7). Other key contributors on offense include Andre Robison, Sam Brittain, and Callum Ellington. Robison has scored four goals while both Brittain and Ellington have recorded three. Garcia, Noah Purtz, and Oliver Spinks have each contributed three assists.
Defensively, goalkeeper Nick Cherry anchors the defense. Cherry has made 51 saves and recorded nine shutouts while posting a 0.90 goals against average. Other players adding a strong defensive presence include Malick Sow, Tanner Brentlinger, Laurent Kenmoe, Josh Manu, and Bailey Winchurch. As a team, the Dragons have allowed the second fewest goals in the conference in 17. Tiffin Stats
SCOUTING NO. 5 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN (9-4-4, 7-3-4): The Panthers went on the road and upset fourth-seeded Cedarville 2-1 in come from behind fashion in the quarterfinals to advance. Kentucky Wesleyan scored twice in a 2:26 span in the second half to defeat the Yellow Jackets on Halloween and the Panthers are currently listed 13th in the NPI Super Region 3 rankings.
Mattie McNally and Carter Ford lead the way offensively with seven and six goals, respectively. Jersey Lopez has also been a big contributor, recording 14 assists and three goals for a team-high 20 points. As a team offensively, the Panthers have scored the second-most goals in the G-MAC with 32.
In goal, Matteo Graniero has recorded five shutouts with 50 saves for a save percentage of 0.714. Kentucky Wesleyan Stats
SCOUTING NO. 6 FINDLAY (11-5-2, 7-5-2): The Oilers punched their ticket to the semifinals after upsetting third-seeded Thomas More 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Findlay jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead, and the Saints battled back in the second half to tie it before Carson Oberski delivered the game-winning goal in the 64th minute. Findlay is currently ranked ninth in the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region rankings and is listed 11th in the NPI Super Region 3 rankings.
Findlay's offense has produced 32 goals this season, tied with Kentucky Wesleyan for the second-most in the conference. The Oilers are led by Carson Oberski's eight goals and 21 points while Tom Middleham has scored six goals for 17 points and Leo Egerer has chipped in with six assists and 12 points.
In goal, Ethan Hensley has recorded three shutouts and 59 saves for a save percentage of 0.756. Findlay Stats
