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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The 19th-ranked Otterbein men's soccer team notched an incredible come-from-behind 2-1 win over Marietta in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament on Thursday night inside Memorial Stadium.
The Cardinals, now 16-2 overall and the top-seed in the conference tournament, extend their winning streak to 14-straight to yet again set a new program record for consecutive victories. Otterbein also protected its undefeated record on home turf, which now stands at 10-0 this fall.
Otterbein will host third-seeded Capital (12-6-2 overall), which advanced past second-seeded John Carroll following a shootout tonight, for the rights to the OAC Tournament championship Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Marietta (11-6-3 overall) came into the match as the five-seed, fresh off a 1-0 win over Ohio Northern this past Tuesday night.
The Pioneers were first to score and they did so quickly just under 17 minutes into the game as Luke Maher capitalized off a ball touched off the Cardinal defense, before Maher finished the sequence near post.
Marietta maintained its one-goal advantage over Otterbein at the half, despite the Cards holding a slim 6-5 lead in the shot category.
The Cardinals continued to battle though bringing a renewed sense of energy into the second frame, which led to a game-tying goal off the head of senior
Gavin Koerner in the 67th minute.
The ball was initially played by sophomore Pau Piang off a corner kick to senior
Jaden Lunger, who got the first touch off his head in perfect range for Koerner storming in on the far side of the box for the score.
A 1-1 draw in regulation led to an overtime period, where senior
Nate Norris found the back of the net after heading in the game-winner amidst a crowd following a corner kick from Toby Varland. Senior Bryan Luckscheiter earned the assist after keeping the ball in the box and directing it towards Norris.
"Marietta scored early and that opened our eyes a bit" Norris said. "I thought we woke up from there and seemed to gather momentum towards the ending of the first half, which led into the rest of the match. Overtime was short and sweet."
Norris, the team's leading scorer a year ago, has transitioned well to his primary role off the bench this season with six goals and two assists, now in the top-five on the team in points (14).
"I struggled with my confidence early in the season and had a few talks with Jason (Griffiths) about it," Norris explained. "He helped me realize what my energy means to this team and how to embrace a new role. I come off the bench now and contribute to the best of my ability."
Cardinal goalkeeper Collin Hoffmann was credited with the win in goal, as he has now allowed just one goal or fewer in the last 14 contests. Pioneer goalkeeper Tyler Sholl suffered the loss on the other end despite stopping five shots.
