Tigers fall apart in fourth quarter, lose, 11-10

limited for the rest of the game, becoming a defensive liability if he lost the faceoff. Ohio State took control of the game in the final 12 minutes as midfielder JT Blubaugh scored to break a 9-9 tie with 10:20 remaining and midfielder Johnny Pearson beat defenseman Jack Adams (Hereford) for a goal nearly four minutes later.

Attackman Ryan Drenner (Westminster) scored with 3:17 left to pull the Tigers within one, but Towson couldn’t convert on two possessions in the final 50 seconds to tie the game.

“I think what really happened to us was the way the faceoffs went, and we had to play a lot of defense,” Towson coach Shawn Nadelen. “They had the ball more. A good offensive team has the ball more and they are that more dangerous. They were able to take advantage of some of those matchups that we typically have advantages of or at least do a good job in. We just weren’t making as many stops as we normally do.”

Ohio State had too many strong shooters and they punished Towson from the outside. The Buckeyes scored two extraman goals in the second half, and they got long-range goals from Pearson and midfielder Tre Leclaire, who finished with three goals and one assist.

Then there was Buckeyes attackman Eric Fannell. Towson did a good job of defending him with short-stick midfielder Zach Goodrich (Kent Island) in the first half, but he got too many scoring opportunities in the second when he scored two goals and collected one assist.

The loss ended a strong run by the Tigers, who won eight of their last 10 games. They weathered major offseason surgeries to midfielders Mike Lynch (Boys’ Latin) and Joe Seider (Hereford), and had to work through several games without Adams because of hamstring problems.

They rode the tough-guy mentality to playoff wins over Penn State and Syracuse, and had Ohio State in a vulnerable position in the first half. The Buckeyes couldn’t stop Towson’s offense from attacking top side and in the middle of the field. The Tigers pounded Ohio State with inside goals, one each from midfielders Lynch and Jon Mazza, a Davidsonville resident, in the first quarter.

Drenner played well for the entire game and took advantage of Ohio State defenseman Erik Evans every time he matched up against him. Drenner ended up with three goals and one assist, and Seider also had three goals.

As loose as Towson played in the first half, Ohio State was tight. The Buckeyes pressed, taking quick shots and leaving holes in their defense. The Tigers were on the verge of blowing them out, but the Buckeyes were saved by goalie Tom Carey, who finished with 10 saves including eight in the first half.

In the second half, the Buckeyes slid hard outside from the crease. They cut off any penetration at the top of the restraining box. While Ohio State was winning faceoffs, Towson’s offense got out of rhythm. Towson didn’t win a faceoff in the fourth quarter and was outscored 3-1 in the period.

Ohio State’s domination of the faceoffs showed some of Towson’s weaknesses. Tigers goalie Matt Hoy is solid and will make the stops he is supposed to make, but doesn’t come up with a lot of big saves to halt scoring runs by other teams.

Towson plays great defense in the midfield, but not on the back end. And if a team like Ohio State gets second chances, it is nearly unbeatable. Towson 2 5 2 Ohio State 2 1 5 Goals: T—Drenner 3, Seider 3, Bolewicki, Lynch, Mazza, Young; OS—Leclaire 3, Fannell 2, Shanks 2, Blubaugh, Jasinski, Maccani, Pearson. Assists: T—Drenner, Mazza; OS—Fannell, Leclaire, Lori, Shanks, Withers. Saves: T—Hoy 6; OS—Carey 10.