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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein men's soccer team launched the postseason in dominant fashion on the scoreboard Tuesday afternoon, blitzing cross-town rival Capital by a 5-0 count in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament quarterfinals.

The Cardinals led just 1-0 entering halftime at Memorial Stadium before erupting in the second frame to comfortably advance. As a result, the team moves on to play at No. 2 seed John Carroll in semifinal action Thursday night up north.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Capital held more possession early with multiple balls into the box, but to no avail as only a few actual shots were attempted and the Otterbein defense cleared any threats. The Cardinals would hit the scoreboard on their lone shot of the half (33rd minute), as Will Isaac slipped a quick free quick over to classmate Coby Stover.The veteran senior quickly beat a defender with a couple touches, ripping a shot through traffic and inside the far post.

The Cards quickly doubled up that lead less than three minutes into the second half when a charging Carter Ely was tripped/fouled by the Capital goalkeeper, resulting in a penalty kick. Isaac stepped up to promptly bury the chance for his OAC-leading 16th goal of the fall.

A field-goal advantage would soon grace the board in the 62nd minute on a pair of corner kicks taken by Stover. The first ball was nicely headed on frame by Joshua Conroy, but saved by (new) goalie Kellen Sargent, while the next set piece was finished off the right way with a smooth header across his body.

Mitchell Patterson opened the floodgates in the 76th minute, corralling a loose ball in the box after attempts/challenges from teammates Guiseppe Maida and Kasdin Hale. He found the ball at his feet with plenty of space, roping a shot home for his second goal in as many contests.

Maida and Patterson were then part of a double-assist sequence on a breakaway just three minutes later, crisply moving the ball from one side to the other and watching Silver Abraham complete the sequence.

STAT CHECK:
Capital actually finished with a 14-11 edge in total shots, working forward nicely on occasions but just not breaking through. The Comets also posted a doubled-up 6-3 margin in corners.

Otterbein keeper Casey Thompson made four critical saves, most at point-blank range, before exiting in favor of backup Jackson Weber late. Sargent made three stops of his own, in relief, after playing the final 30-plus minutes.

The physical matchup saw a combined 24 fouls, with the visitors being whistled for 16.

SEMIFINAL PREVIEW:
Otterbein dropped a 2-0 contest with JCU earlier this season in Westerville, as the 4x defending champion Blue Streaks scored early and then added an insurance goal way late. This will be a rematch of last year's title game.