PAINESVILLE, Ohio – Despite a combined 29 fouls, 11 yellow cards and one red card, senior Felix Darko (Reynoldsburg, OH) and Ohio Dominican's men's soccer team rallied from an early deficit Sunday evening at Lake Erie to escape with a rough, physical 2-1 victory over the Storm.

ODU now 3-1-0 overall, improve to 5-0-0 all-time against Lake Erie and move into a three-way tie for first in the GLIAC at 2-0-0, while the Storm fall to 3-3-0 on the year and 2-2-0 in the conference.

LEC grabbed the early 1-0 lead just 4:36 into the game as sophomore goalkeeper Dean Dziewit (Waterford, MI) got pulled away from the net and an ODU turnover allowed Danny Eborall to take advantage of the open goal from just outside the box.

Thanks to a little bit of luck and a friendly bounce, the Panthers were able to tie the game in the 30th minute as Darko was in the right place at the right time, scoring from point blank range following a restart after a blocked shot attempt by junior Colby Catlett (Hilliard, OH) bounced right in his direction. 

ODU took advantage of another Lake Erie yellow card, one of seven for them in the game, in the 55th minute as Catlett missed just wide off a set piece, but junior Casey Weddle (Cincinnati, OH) was able to track the ball down and lifted it to Darko who headed it in for the game-winner. It's the first multi-goal game of Darko's career and also his first two scores of the season.

The Panthers finished with a 19-8 advantage on shots, including 7-2 on shots on goal, and an 8-3 edge on corners, while Dziewit made one save and allowed just the one score.

The Panthers are back home at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23 as they battle preseason conference favorite and current No. 23 Tiffin.

Contact: Bryan Desch
deschb@ohiodominican.edu