Box Score
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University men's soccer team saw its season come to a close Saturday afternoon, drawing Capital University 0-0 over 110 minutes of action at Clements Field.
Otterbein finishes the regular season in a three-way tie with Mount Union and Baldwin Wallace, but will unfortunately miss out on the six-team Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament due to tiebreaking scenarios.
As a result of John Carroll topping Wilmington, Baldwin Wallace will get the nod as the final team into the tournament by virtue of a better result against JCU, who finishes as the second-place team in the standings. The Yellow Jackets tied the Blue Streaks earlier this season while Otterbein lost was dealt a loss.
"It's unfortunate and disappointing to come up short, but I was extremely pleased with the way our guys fought and battled throughout the match today," Otterbein head coach Gerry D'Arcy said afterwards. "I thought we really strung together some quality efforts and performances during the second half of our conference season."
Both Otterbein and Capital saw chances throughout the match, but neither side was able to cash in. The Cardinals narrowly missed perhaps their best chance in the opening half when a Conor Holland shot trickled just wide left.
The Crusaders narrowly missed getting on the scoreboard when a Casey Blankenship shot sailed just high three minutes into the initial overtime session.
Otterbein finished the match with a 22-13 shot advantage, and also held a 7-5 edge on corner attempts.
Bob Weisgarber tallied six saves for Capital while Otterbein junior Kyle Ripma had five of his own in goal.
"We were a very legit team down the back stretch once we got everyone healthy," D'Arcy added. "I couldn't have been more pleased with our group's effort. I think some teams may have given up if they were in our position at the midway point, but we finished strong against some good teams. We have most of our players back next year so I think we have a very good opportunity ahead."
The match concludes the careers of Otterbein seniors Brett Rogan, Aaric Milligan, Dusty Kiaski, and Tim Sedgwick, who honored during pregame as part of Senior Day.
