UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - Despite leading at the half, Otterbein would ultimately be forced to absorb a disappointing 2-1 loss after a pair of overtimes Thursday night against defending champion John Carroll in semifinal action of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Blue Streaks, having won the last four OAC titles, took one step closer to winning a fifth after netting the go-ahead score just 2:12 into the second extra session. Otterbein falls to 12-3-3 on the year as a result and will now be forced to hope for an at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA Championships.
JCU, which also outlasted Otterbein in overtime of last year's title contest, will host fourth-seeded Wilmington this weekend for the trophy. The Quakers shocked top seed and regular-season champ Ohio Northern in double overtime earlier on Thursday.
Otterbein captured all the momentum early in the first half by taking a lead in the 14th minute. Drew Holman had pressure on his back from a John Carroll defender, and tried to work a play up from just past midfield. Holman attempted to pass the ball to Will Isaac but a JCU player took a step in between. The deflected ball ricocheted further into Blue Streak territory, where a crashing Holman recollected the ball and fired a shot off. The shot bounced off the foot of one on four collapsing JCU players and flew out of reach of keeper Jake Vogrin (who was initially in good position).
The Blue Streaks almost had an equalizer just moments into the second half, but a pair of nice saves bottom left by Casey Thompson on a rocket free kick translated to a corner, which the Cardinals also defended However, a beautiful sequence of passes led to John Carroll's equalizer....
A pass from midfield flew towards the far corner. There, a one-touch pass led the ball to Logan Penton who found just enough space off the Cardinal defense to send a cross into the 18-yard box. Hayden Haffner took a one-touch volley and sent the ball back across the net past Thompson to even up the score.
JCU controlled a good chunk of possession moving forward, although Otterbein did see opportunities itself with a handful of set pieces. A shot with just 55 seconds left in regulation from Isaac was saved by Vogrin, leaving a 1-1 tie on the board.
The Cardinals came up with a slew of shots during the first overtime session but couldn't take the lead. Play remained relatively balanced, and the Cardinals pushed offensively to the last second. A corner kick for Otterbein didn't quite grow to fruition with mere seconds remaining on the clock.
The Blue streaks would then escape victorious in the second overtime session. A huge ball from the midfield line again gave the hosts their second (and winning) goal of the contest. Penton claimed both assists on the night after setting up another long cross, launching a long ball from midfield straight into the heart of Otterbein territory. Michael Kelly connected off the pass out of the air and maneuvered the ball off his head, watching it sail over a charging Thompson and into the net.
Isaac had a look just one minute later, only to see it turned away by Vogrin. JCU would hold strong over the next seven-plus minutes to emerge. Thompson and Vogrin both had seven saves on the night, each making point-blank stops at critical times throughout.
A combined 30 shots (17 on frame) were seen while the contest also featured 24 fouls almost split evenly between the two sides. Nathan Neal and Coby Stover were named to the All-Tournament Team as a result of their efforts this postseason.
