Tiffin University (4-5) gave it everything it had but came up just short against 5th-ranked Lindenwood, falling 10-9.
The Dragons battled back late, trailing 10-7 with 12:14 remaining and nearly sent the game to overtime. A last second shot by Ashley Osbeck was saved by Aly Smith to give the Lions the one-point victory.
The Dragons showed a fighting spirit from the outset, answering a Lindenwood goal early with the first of three goals by Amie Morrison off a free position shot to tie the score at 1-1. Leah Davis scored off a pass from Elle Hamilton seven minutes later to give TU a 2-1 lead.
Lindenwood scored twice to retake the lead but TU answered with two more goals as Morrison and Daniela Carey scored to give TU a 4-3 lead with 8:31 left in the half.
The Lions rattled off three consecutive goals over a 2:00 span to take a 6-4 lead. Morrison got her third goal just before halftime, and the Lions tacked on another goal with 1:20 left to hold a 7-5 lead at the break.
Leading 8-5 at the 18:33 mark, Tiffin clawed its way back into it again, getting goals from Hamilton and Carey to make it 8-7, Lindenwood. But two quick goals by the 12:14 mark put Lindenwood up by their biggest margin 10-7.
Maddy Batley hit a free position shot with 4:36 left, and Carey tallied another goal off a pass from Morrison to bring TU to within 10-9 with 2:30 to play. A quick turnover by the Lions gave the Dragons the final possession, with one shot sailing wide of the net and Osbeck's final attempt stopped as time ran out.
The final stats were remarkably even. Tiffin held the shot edge 27-25, including a 15-10 margin in the second half. Tiffin also had the ground ball edge 12-11, while Lindenwood had a solid advantage in draw controls 13-8, including 6-2 in the second half.
Morrison had 3 goals and an assist with 3 ground balls, while Carey also had 3 goals. Hamilton had a goal and 2 assists with 3 ground balls, 5 draws, and 2 caused turnovers. Osbeck had 2 assists, while Leah Davis also had a goal.
Kat Schneeberger took the loss in goal, making 12 saves over 60 minutes.