Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University remained in contention for a spot in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, holding off Marietta College, 2-1, at Clements Field.

The win keeps Otterbein, now 6-8-2 overall and 2-4-2 in OAC play, in a race with the University of Mount Union, Baldwin Wallace University, and Muskingum University for the sixth and final spot in next week’s conference tournament.

Otterbein controls its own destiny, as a win over Capital University Saturday afternoon will lock up the No. 6 position.
The Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over both Mount and BW by virtue of their recent victory over second-place Wilmington College.

Otterbein can still qualify for the postseason with a draw or loss to the Crusaders, depending on the outcomes in other matches. Click here to view the updated OAC standings.

The Cardinals appeared to have taken an early 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when senior Justin Esarey lofted a free-kick from near midfield into the box. Marietta keeper Chris Stollar jumped to make a save before colliding with Otterbein sophomore Conor Holland, and the ball quickly deflected into the net.

However, Holland would be called for a foul after a brief meeting by the officials as the match remained scoreless.

Otterbein got on the scoreboard at the 36:25 mark when AdamTackett tracked down a long pass from defender Justin Cox and beat Stollar with a shot to the far post.

The Cardinals added a second goal just before halftime as Esarey converted a header attempt off a corner-kick from senior Dustin Kiaski.

Marietta (4-12, 1-7 OAC) applied more offensive pressure as the second half progressed, and cut the Cardinal lead in half when Wes Riley corralled a pass and beat a charging Kyle Ripma, who had sprinted out from the Otterbein net.

Otterbein looked like it would survive as the final minutes ticked away, but the Pioneers were awarded a late penalty kick after Otterbein was called for a foul in the box with 58 seconds remaining.

Brandon Siringer stepped up to take the attempt, but Ripma answered the challenge by making a diving save and preserving the win.

Otterbein finished the match with an 18-14 shot advantage, while Marietta held a slim 7-6 margin on corners. Ripma tallied five saves while Stollar and Bobby Thaxton combined for five in the Marietta net.

The Cardinals will conclude the regular season Saturday afternoon, hosting rival Capital University at 3:30 p.m. as part of Senior Day.