Second half surge leads Dragons to pivotal victory

Elle Hamilton had 8 goals to lead Tiffin to a big win over Findlay.
Elle Hamilton had 8 goals to lead Tiffin to a big win over Findlay.

A huge second half rally by Tiffin University (9-6, 5-0 G-MAC) led to a dramatic G-MAC showdown victory over host Findlay, as the Dragons took sole possession of first place with a 13-12 win.

Tiffin never led in the first half and trailed 6-2 with 12:56 left in the first half. The Dragons' offense was led by Elle Hamilton, who seemingly singlehandedly kept TU close by scoring 4 of Tiffin's 5 first half goals as the Dragons trailed 8-5 at the half.

The Dragons could not control the tempo over the first 30 minutes, as Findlay held a massive 19-8 shot advantage and 23-10 ground ball edge in the half. Still, the Dragons trailed by just three goals heading to the second half.

The Dragons wasted little time taking over the momentum. Over the next 15 minutes, the Dragons outscored Findlay 6-0, with Hamilton getting 4 more goals. The Dragons now led 11-8, and two more goals pushed their lead to 13-8 with 7:30 to play. 

The Oilers made a late run, scoring three goals over the next three minutes, but Tiffin worked the clock over the final 4:00. The Dragons managed to free position attempts and collected ground balls after each shot, eventually running the clock out for the victory.

In the second half, TU held commanding leads of 17-8 on shots, 10-6 on ground balls, and an overall margin of 19-8 on draw controls. They also allowed only 3 free position goals in the game to the Oilers.

Hamilton led the way with a monster game, scoring 8 goals with 8 draws. Ashley Osbeck had 3 goals and 4 ground balls, while Maddy Batley had a goal, assist, and 10 draws. Amie Morrison also had a goal, while Daniela Carey added an assist.

Kat Schneeberger got the win in goal with 8 saves over 60 minutes.