POTSDAM, N.Y. – In its first weekend back in action Otterbein University men's soccer was able to earn a split at the North Country Classic, hosted jointly by Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University.

Friday vs. Clarkson (2-1 Loss):

It took 17 minutes for Otterbein to knock off the preseason rust and muster its first shot, as Clarkson would not get a shot off for another eight minutes. The game remained a scoreless tie until the 32^nd minute when Clarkson's Aidan Subra was able to split two Cardinal defenders and put a shot past goalkeeper Andrew McIlvoy.

Clarkson showed just how explosive its offense could be scoring another quick goal just six minutes later when Subra, off a cross from Stephen Klimek, headed the ball into the back of the net to put Clarkson up 2-0 at the 38:04 mark of the first half.

Otterbein would not go quietly though, as it also displayed a quick strike offense, answering the Clarkson goal when freshman Gabe Sharrock sent a pass into the attacking zone to forward Paul Hensley. The speedy sophomore used just one touch to settle the ball before chipping it over the head of Clarkson keeper Ian Roeloffs, in the 40^th minute, to cut the Clarkson lead in half.

Neither team would beat the opposing keeper in the second half, although both sides saw plenty of potential scoring chances. Roeloffs kept the Cards off the board making several important saves near the posts, while Clarkson saw its best scoring opportunity ricochet off the crossbar in the 81^st minute.
Despite the loss Otterbein finished with a 13-8 advantage in shots, with only four on frame. Roeloffs made three saves in goal for the Knights, while McIlvoy made one stop for the Cards.

Saturday vs. St. Lawrence (2-0 Win):

The Cardinal offense hit the pitch running Saturday afternoon scoring first against host St. Lawrence in the 31^st minute. Senior Eric Stucky got his team on the board when he was able to shoot past the Saints goalie Ben Woelfinger.

The offense would fall silent the remainder of the half while St. Lawrence found its footing, outshooting the Cards 4-2 at the break despite not finding the back of the net.

Both teams started the second half slow until the 70^th minute when Sharrock ripped a shot past Woelfinger, putting the Cards up 2-0 and tallying his first collegiate goal. No goals would be scored the remainder of the match, with Andrew McIlvoy standing tall for the Cards in goal making four second-half-saves.

The Cards outshot the Saints 12-10, forcing Woelfinger to make important saves, with seven shots on frame to just four for the home team.  

Otterbein will be back in action Wednesday evening, hosting Oberlin College for its home opener inside Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.