ELYRIA — There were plenty of shots to keep players warm on a cold, cloudy and windy day, but few found the net Tuesday afternoon as Elyria and Nordonia fought to a 1-1 tie in a Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division match.

The Pioneers (4-8-3, 1-1-2) shot an amazing 31 times at the Knights’ goal, but only found the net once. That one was courtesy of Marcus Perry with 17:25 left in the match off an assist by Justin Politi.

Ten of the shots were on goal, including one near-miss deflected over the bar on a great save by Nordonia goalie Alex Karlozi, who barely got his hand on the ball with 10:30  remaining.

Elyria dominated the first half, firing 18 shots, but still going scoreless. The Knights (7-6-1, 1-2-1) got off 11 shots in the half with only two on goal.

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“We’re missing one of our starters (out due to a commitment to a Junior Fire Academy test),” Nordonia coach Pat Kavak said. “We didn’t capitalize several times when we should have shot but didn’t. We did play better, though, in the second half.”

Elyria coach Michael Adams wasn’t totally unhappy with the match’s outcome, despite all the missed chances.

“We’re down four players with injuries and lost another today, so we were down to just three subs,” he said. “But, ultimately, we played well even though we missed opportunities when we didn’t finish. Also, we need to work on changing our point of attack at midfield. However, for the most part, we played well.”

Three players were hurt in the second half due to hard contact and had to be helped from the field. Brandon Smith of Elyria went down after being kicked in the shin, but he is expected to be able to play in the season finale Saturday at Valley Forge.

Pioneer Alex Farquhar suffered an ankle injury with 26:24 left in the match but is also expected to play Saturday. Nordonia’s Mike Sabo also hurt his ankle and left the field with 19:30 left.

It was Senior Day at Pioneer Field with all the seniors and their parents recognized at halftime.

GOALS — Marcus Perry (Ely), Yu-Jun Kim (Nord); ASSISTS: Justin Politi (Ely), Andrew Mendez (Nord); SAVES: John Supel (Ely) 3, Alex Karlozi (Nord) 6; SHOTS—Elyria 31, Nordonia 20; SHOTS ON GOAL: Elyria 10, Nordonia 5. Halftime score 0-0.

Contact Jerry Rombach at 329-7137 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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