INDIANAPOLIS— The Oilers and Dragons fought hard but fell short in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
On Sunday, Dec. 1, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) saw two teams competing in the Division II NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. The No. 6 Findlay Oilers competed against the No. 2 McKendree Bearcats, while the No. 4 Tiffin Dragons took on the No. 1 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals. Unfortunately, both teams fell to their respective opponents and were eliminated from the tournament.
The Dragons finished their season with an overall record of 14-6-1 and the Oilers were notched down to 12-4-5.
In the game against the Cardinals, the Dragons started off strong. They were able to get on the board just eight minutes and 55 seconds into the game. The goal was scored by Tiffin’s Zachary Garcia. After the goal was scored, Saginaw Valley State jumped right into an offensive prowl. They responded with two goals in the next 13 minutes to take the lead and establish much-needed momentum.
After those two shots from the Cardinals that found the back of the net, they recorded just one other throughout the rest of the game. On the other side, the Dragons took 19 with 10 ending up on goal. With so much pressure, the Cardinals found a way to put up a brick wall defensively as goalkeeper Nick Kay made nine saves to keep the one-goal deficit intact and march to a 2-1 win over Tiffin.
On the Oilers' side, they competed hard through the opening 15 minutes of their contest against the Bearcats. The Oilers had outshot McKendree, 7-4, up until the Bearcats’ fifth shot of the game. That shot occurred in the 16th minute, barreling into the back netting for the first goal of the first half. In the 33rd minute, the second and final goal of the game would be scored by the Bearcats.
Through the remaining 57 minutes, McKendree locked down and kept a clean sheet. They would ultimately finish the game with a 2-0 edge.
Both the Oilers and Dragons now shift their attention to the offseason in preparation for the 2025 season.