TIFFIN, Ohio – In a huge midwest region showdown, the Dragons got a late second-half goal from Bailey Winchurch to earn a 1-1 draw against Saginaw Valley State on Thursday afternoon at the Paradiso Athletic Complex.
Scoring chances were tough to come by in this one as both teams had stingy defenses. The Cardinals struck first with just over a minute left in the first half to take a 1-0 lead. Off a corner kick, Gabo Vazquez's header hit the inside of the crossbar and crossed the line for a goal to give SVSU a 1-0 lead going into the half.
Tiffin nearly struck first early in the contest, but Sam Brittain's shot just sailed high over the crossbar.
The Dragons turned up the offensive pressure early in the second half but couldn't capitalize. Zach Garcia took control of a loose ball and his shot hit the left post, Laurent Kenmoe had a shot attempt go high, and Noah Purtz's shot attempt just curled right of the goal post. All of that action came in a span of two and a half minutes.
All of that momentum finally led to the Dragons' game-tying goal in the 78th minute. Off a free kick, Tiffin kept control of the ball and Noe Misumi dished it to Bailey Winchurch who rifled a left-footed shot past the goalkeeper to tie the game. That became a huge point in the game as the Dragons did not record another shot attempt for the remainder of the game.
The Tiffin defense shut down the Cardinals' last chance, defending a corner kick and throw in with under a minute left.
Nick Cherry went the distance in goal and recorded four saves.
Both teams recorded nine shot attempts while SVSU had a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks.
TU closes out non-conference play on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Davenport at 2 p.m. at the Paradiso Athletic Complex.
