TIFFIN, Ohio – The recent success Ashland University's men's soccer team has had at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament ended on Thursday (Nov. 9) afternoon, as the Eagles lost 5-2 to the homestanding Dragons.
Ashland's record goes to 7-9-4, while Tiffin is 13-2-3 heading into the tournament championship game on Saturday (Nov. 11).
The Eagles had been 3-0 all-time in the Great Midwest Tournament prior to Thursday.
"We were in total control of the game," said Ashland head coach
Nick Roberts. "We gave up a soft goal there at 2-2. Goals change games, and that's what it did. But I can't fault the effort. They've gone toe-to-toe with everybody this year.
"Today is a tough one, because I thought I could get a win out there."
Tiffin struck first, netting a goal in the 17
th minute when Caleb Gibbons scored on an assist from Zachary Garcia. It came on the Dragons' third shot of the game – while the Eagles had yet to take a shot.
Ashland, however, took a Dragons turnover and made it a 1-1 tie when fifth-year midfielder
Oliver Whaley struck a long goal from left to right for his sixth goal of the campaign in the 23
rd minute.
After a slow start offensively, the Eagles took the first half's last nine shots – but the score remained knotted at 1 through the first 45 minutes.
Whaley started the second half with his second goal of the game and seventh of the season in the 49
th minute, right in front of the Dragon goal. Freshman midfielder
Sergio Ruiz had the assist, his second of 2023.
"He's been great all season," Roberts said of Whaley, who also scored two goals at Tiffin in the 2022 Great Midwest Tournament title game. "We hope he'll be back next year so he can do it again next year."
Tiffin, however, scored a pair of unassisted goals within 10 minutes of each other – by Noah Purtz in the 71
st minute, then Chewe Mukaka in the 80
th minute. The Dragons added an insurance tally in the 86
th minute when Purtz scored his second goal of the afternoon on a feed from Gibbons, and then another one in the 88
th minute when Lars Van Der Vlugt scored in front of the Eagle net on a pass from Malvin Gblah.
POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Ashland out-shot Tiffin by a 15-8 count, and each team had four corner kicks.
- Thursday's game featured 28 total fouls and six yellow cards (five by Tiffin).
