LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 11-ranked Otterbein men's soccer team opened its season in exciting fashion Sunday afternoon, getting an overtime goal from forward Kennedy Mensah to escape with a 2-1 triumph at host Transylvania.

Both sides had chances throughout a back-and-forth first half, but neither team was able to find the back of the net as the contest entered intermission locked in a scoreless draw.

Physicality picked up after the break as the second period saw four yellow cards, and the host Pioneers struck the scoreboard first when Alex Shkraba converted a pass from teammate Charlie Ward in the 54th minute.

Otterbein didn't waver, tallying an equalizing goal less than six minutes later when Erick Juarez-Manning fed a cross into the box and found Kohei Adams to make it a new contest.

A header attempt from Cardinal freshman Kamal Mohammed sailed wide with just a few seconds left in regulation as the contest headed for overtime. Otterbein wasted little time in the extra session, pressing defensively up the left side and forcing a turnover to gain positioning in the 93rd minute. The ball ended up with freshman Zane Kaetzel, who chipped a pass into the box and watched Mensah finish the job with a well-placed header.

"We played a lot of freshman today and the guys were impressive," head coach Jason Griffiths said. "We wanted to see if there was strength in depth and I think our bench really helped make a difference. It was good to see they weren't nervous."

Transy held a 7-1 edge in corner kicks while Otterbein finished with a slim 20-17 advantage in total shots. Collin Hoffmann came up with seven saves in the Cardinal goal and counterpart Michael Kline had six on the opposite end for the home side.

Otterbein will be back in action Wednesday evening, traveling to Oberlin for a start time at 7 p.m. The two sides didn't play last season and last met in 2016, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw when the Yeomen were nationally ranked.