ASHLAND, Ohio – In what shaped up to be the greatest final in GLIAC Men's Soccer Tournament history, the Ohio Dominican Panthers just missed on capturing their first conference championship as a member of the GLIAC, falling 6-5 in a penalty kick shootout to No. 21 and top seed Ashland on Saturday evening at Ferguson Field in Ashland, Ohio.   

After playing to a 1-1 draw through 90 chilly minutes of regulation and two overtimes, the top two teams in the GLIAC squared off in the most exciting finish in soccer. Through three bouts of kicks, the score was 3-3 as Duncan Campbell (Fr./Hilliard, OH), Joe Pissocra (Sr./Dublin, OH) and Casey Weddle (So./Cincinnati, OH) matched the Eagles kick-for-kick.

Keeper Justin Nolan guessed correctly to deny the fourth attempt by Chris Feller (Sr./Fairfield, OH) to put Ashland up 4-3, but ODU goalie Tyler Gleason (Sr./Grove City, OH) kept the Panthers' hopes alive as he stopped a the fifth attempt by Louis Clark.

AJ Mueller (Sr./Dublin, OH) and Liam Fitzgerald (Sr./Hudson, OH) tied the score at 5-5 through six rounds of kicks. Leading 6-5 after a make by Brian Ruhaak, Nolan guessed correctly once again, turning away Justin Wheeler's (So./Gahanna, OH) low shot with a diving stop to the right side to give the Eagles the title.

Ashland posted their lone goal of the match at the 25:13 mark of the first half as Clark flicked ahead a long pass to Adam Spannbauer who sent the ball to the top shelf from eight yards away.

ODU quickly countered with the equalizer just over a minute later as a foul in the box allowed Campbell to connect on a penalty kick for his fourth score of the year.

The Panthers came close to breaking the tie on several occasions. With just over a minute left in the first, Nolan denied a close range shot by Mueller and Fitzgerald's follow off the rebound found an Eagle defenseman standing on the goal line. In the second overtime, a low header from Wheeler missed just inches wide left of the net.

The Eagles were not without some prime scoring chances of their own. Tom Rankin blasted a perfect strike from 24 yards out in the first minute of the second overtime that appeared to be the game-winner, but deflected off the upper left cross bar allowing the ODU bench to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The teams played a relatively even first half, but the Panthers controlled much of the tempo the remainder of the match, outshooting the Eagles 13-3 after halftime and 19-10 overall, including a 9-3 advantage on shots on goal. 

ODU concludes their inaugural season at the Division II level with a 13-5-2 record, while Ashland awaits their bid into the NCAA Midwest Regionals, which will be announced on Monday, Nov. 8.