The Dragons will have to take the long way home to earn a trip to the GLIAC Tournament Championship game, hosting Lake Erie in a quarterfinal matchup tomorrow May 2.
Tiffin vs. Lake Erie College - May 2 - 7:00 PM
Location - Frost-Kalnow Stadium - 300 South Monroe Street, Tiffin, Ohio 44883
Previous Matchup - Earlier this year, the Dragons narrowly escaped Painesville with a 11-9 win over the Storm.
Series Record - Since the 2010 season, the Dragons and Storm have played 11 times, with Tiffin winning seven of those matchups. In the GLIAC Tournament, Tiffin is 2-0 against Lake Erie.
Storm - Lake Erie is 6-4 over their last 10 games, finishing last weekend 1-1. The Storm lost to Grand Valley State 15-11 on Friday, and then defeated Northern Michigan 20-4 on Sunday.
Offensive Mindset - Lake Erie has leaned on their offense all season, leading the GLIAC in shooting percentage, shots on goal percentage, and they're second in goals per game with 14.79. In the nation, Lake Erie is 18th in scoring offense and scoring margin.
In Control - Lake Erie doesn't turn the ball over very much, leading the GLIAC with only 11.29 turnovers per game. At the national level, Lake Erie is 2nd in turnovers per game.
Thunderous Defense - Tiffin was held below its season scoring average the last time the two schools hooked up, posting only 11 goals. The Storm's defense has been as good as their offense, allowing only 8.03 goals per game, 2nd in the GLIAC and 14th in the nation.
Topsy Turvy - Tiffin's roadtrip this past weekend was a nightmare, dealing with the logistics of the trip, 10 hours and 705 miles to get from Tiffin to Indianapolis to McKendree and another 466 miles to get back to Tiffin. It was also Commencement weekend for Tiffin University, with Tiffin having four seniors walking across the stage to get their diplomas, and throw in a lightning delay in Indianapolis and you have all the makings of a late season slip as the Dragons dropped both games this past weekend.
Rarity - The Dragons had not lost back to back games since they opened the season with losses to Florida Tech and Lenoir-Rhyne. Prior to that, you have to travel back to March of 2015 to find the last time the Dragons dropped two straight games.
Free Position Efficiency - Tiffin is 45-88 in free position opportunities this season, 4th best in the nation. Of Tiffin's 201 goals, 22% have come on free position chances. Comparatively, 18% of the Storm's goals have come on free position opportunities.
History On Your Side - Tiffin has played in two GLIAC quarterfinal games in program history, winning both. The last quarterfinal game Tiffin played in was back in 2014 with the Dragons defeating Walsh 14-5. In the two games, Tiffin has outscored their opponents 36-10.