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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It was almost a scoreless first half, but the Cardinals broke through just before intermission and ended up pulling away for a 4-1 victory against Wilmington in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play Wednesday night.

The Cardinals, staying unbeaten in league play at 3-0-1, got back inside Memorial Stadium for the first time in almost two weeks after a few recent matches on the road. The home setting allowed Otterbein to add a pair of insurance goals in the second half and improve to 7-2-3 overall in the process.

THE SCRIPT:

Both sides jockeyed for possession and to hit the scoreboard across 35-plus minutes before Otterbein cracked through...

A nice throw-in found the feet of Will Isaac amidst a crowded box. His initial shot was saved by Wilmington's keeper, but Jayden Lunsford was there to clean up the play. Isaac was credited with an assist for the first rope, giving him 27 for his career to become Otterbein's all-time leader in the category!

The Cardinals carried that halftime momentum into the second period, doubling up the lead less than 10 minutes into the frame on a goal from Nick Isaac. Wilmington was trying to move the ball upfield before he stepped in front of a pass, taking possession the opposite direction for a breakaway against the keeper.

Otterbein made it a field-goal lead in the 67th minute when Lunsford added his second tally, taking a pass and getting behind three Quakers defenders. He comfortably beat the goalie 1 on 1.

Wilmington got on the board right at the 77:00 mark on an errant defensive play, where a Cardinal defender tried clearing a throw-in but accidentally headed the ball towards the goal. Jackson Beske was there to finish the sequence with a header himself.

The Cardinals would have the last laugh with a penalty kick goal from Coby Stover, occurring in the 82nd minute after a foul in the box.

Otterbein finished with a fairly decisive 18-7 advantage in total shots, with 10 of those happening on frame. Both goalies, Thomas Grimes (WC) and Casey Thompson, combined for 11 saves on the night.

IT'S THE WEEKEND:

Otterbein gets to stay on campus for the remainder of this week, as Heidelberg comes to town on Saturday for a first kick at 2 p.m.