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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein hosted Thomas More for its home opener Tuesday night at Memorial Stadium, but unfortunately came away on the wrong side of 1-0 loss to mark the first home defeat since October of 2016. The Cards played to a perfect 13-0 mark on their home turf last season under new head coach Jason Griffiths.

In the early stages, Otterbein controlled majority of the possession time but was unable to capitalize on any opportunity. Thomas More collected itself in the 25th minute when Abou Diomande nailed the post and rejuvenated the Saints attack. Ethan Smith followed with a near score of his own 10 minutes later, ripping a shot from nearly 30 yards out that connected with the right post before dribbling away.

As the intermission was approaching, still tied 0-0, Dominic Russo took a corner kick for Thomas More. The corner connected with the head of Pierce Turner while goalkeeper Collin Hoffmann stopped the initial shot by punching the ball into the air, but Turner remained persistent right in front of the net by converting a second header attempt.

Heading into the locker rooms, Thomas More held a 10-9 lead in the shot category while the Cards had attempted three corner kicks compared to five by the Saints. Otterbein had its best opportunity of the second half in the 58th minute on a Pau Piang corner kick, which found the head of Zach Lewis that barely sailed above the crossbar.

The Cards continued pushing the issue but Thomas More did a stout job of stopping any threats, as Otterbein saw its final chance in the closing seconds on an Eric Stucky corner kick that was cleared by a Saint defender.

Thomas More owned the advantage in shots (12-11), corner kicks (8-6) and fouls (11-9) in what was a very close match throughout. Otterbein now holds a record of 2-1, while the Saints improve to 3-1-1 on the year. The Cardinals will finish the week facing off at Denison on Saturday, traveling to nearby Granville for start time at 7 p.m.