Box Score PAINESVILLE., Ohio – Sophomore Griffin Cook (Whitehouse, Ohio) trimmed the lead to just one in the 69th minute for the Ohio Dominican men's soccer team but it wasn't enough as the Black and Gold fell to Lake Erie College 2-1 in Saturday's Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament Final.
Both squads battled one another and the elements as rain, sleet, and snow fell during the match at Jack Britt Memorial Stadium in Painesville, Ohio.
Lake Erie opened the scoring in the 22nd minute as Connor Mautino converted a scoring opportunity off a cross to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage. The Panthers attempted to answer back as forward Khalif Hassan (Columbus, Ohio) challenged the Lake Erie goalkeeper to make a tricky save in the 38th minute.
The Storm doubled their advantage just before the intermission as Teddy Baker scored to make it 2-0 for the hosts.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alvaro Benito (Zargoza, Spain) impressed once more making four saves, with three coming in a fifteen-minute span to open the second half.
ODU looked to trim the lead as a foul from Lake Erie in the penalty box gave the Black and Gold an opportunity from the spot. Senior River Allbaugh (Pickerington, Ohio) took the opportunity but was denied by the goalkeeper who made a diving save.
The Panthers broke through in the 69th minute as Cook was introduced into the game off the bench and finished a quality opportunity on the wing from Shingai Nindi (Shanghai, China) to stuff it into the back of the net and to trim the lead to 2-1.
The Panther attack outshot the Storm by a 13-4 margin in the second half but couldn't get the equalizer and fell by a 2-1 scoreline to Lake Erie.
UP NEXT
ODU awaits its fate to see if its built up enough of a resume to get into the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament. The selection show is scheduled to take place Monday evening at 6:30 PM.
Contact: Ralph Schudel
schudelr@ohiodominican.edu
