Detroit 0-2. Photo from Detroit website.
Coming off a big loss to Delaware on Saturday, Detroit looked to rebound last night against Ohio State. My preseason prediction was a likely loss, so going down by a single goal may be something of a moral victory, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and allowing a late winner on the road is heartbreaking.
Whereas all five of their goals against Delaware came on the man-up, UD's extra man unit was shut out in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and the clearing game was a bugaboo for the Titans.
Tempo-Free
From the box score, here's your tempo-free breakdown.
| Ohio State | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | Detroit | ||
| Faceoff Wins | 6 | Faceoff Wins | 5 |
| Clearing | 20-22 | Clearing | 14-21 |
| Possessions | 35 | Possessions | 28 |
| Goals | 4 | Goals | 3 |
| Offensive Efficiency | .114 | Offensive Efficiency | .107 |
With such a small sample size, it's hard to say Detroit was thaaaaat much less efficient than were the Buckeyes, and the number of possessions was a bigger factor in the loss for the Titans.
Both teams had a lot of struggles offensively, as Ohio State couldn't hit the broad side of a barn (their .173 shot percentage was lower than any team's season total last year, and only half their attempts were on net), and Detroit couldn't even generate shots in the first place (they only generated a shot on 57.1% of their possessions).
Per Ohio State's stats, Detroit committed 11 turnovers in the 4th quarter, when it mattered most, and that lack of poise in the clutch could have helped cost them the game.
Notes
Faceoffs were NOT a problem for Detroit on this day. Brandon Davenport was shut out in the third quarter, but managed to finish one draw short of .500 at 5-11. It's too early to say the struggles in Delaware were an aberration against a very good opponent, but there's definitely evidence that may be the case.
On offense, it was a dodging day for the Titans, as they had no assists on their three goals. Midfielders Tim Lehto and Alex Maini and freshman attack Alex Maini got on board.
In goal, it's hard to say whether AJ Levell had an excellent day saving 8 of 12 shots, or if the poor offensive play helped by giving him easy looks. I'll side on the side of optimism for the Columbus native, and say WOOO LEVELL.
Elsewhere
Highlights from Ohio State (requires Microsoft Silverlight):
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