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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The final goal of non-conference play would be a massive one for the Otterbein men's soccer team on Wednesday night, as sophomore Mitchell Patterson converted a header in the closing minute to help beat Denison in a big regional showdown.

The Cardinals improve to 4-2-2 on the season entering league play, with the victory certainly bolstering their resume within a competitive region. Denison, recently falling out of the national poll, still rests a very formidable 6-2-1 this fall.

As fate would have it, Patterson played the role of hero after an unfortunate sequence early in the match that gave Denison an early led. The Big Red sent a laser cross into the box, and the rope deflected off the face of Patterson and into the net for an own goal.

Denison carried that 1-0 margin into the break despite very even, back-and-forth play across the entire pitch.

Otterbein drew even just over six minutes into the second half after Will Isaac was bumped from behind and fell on the far-left side of the box. That warranted a penalty kick, and Isaac stepped up to promptly bury the equalizer.

The Big Red pushed back and had a pair of up-close looks shortly after, but Casey Thompson made a pair of saves on what could have been tricky/awkward balls. Otterbein came right back entering the homestretch on a pair of runs involving new sub Giuseppe Maida, with the latter being a ball left back in an open box but with no Cardinal there to get a piece.

The highlight moment occurred in the final minute of the contest after Otterbein earned a throw-in down near the right corner. Senior Carter Ely, known for his long heaves, sprinted across the field as a substitute and got to the ball with roughly 45 seconds left. His toss found the head of Jacob Irani, who pushed it across to Patterson. His header (with 30 seconds on the clock) found the left side of the net as a fitting exclamation mark.

The chippy match, getting more physical as time went on, ended up with a combined 23 fouls split nearly even at 12-11. Denison took seven of the nine corner kicks won on the day and also held a slight edge (11-9) in total shots.

Otterbein now runs its unbeaten streak to six matches over the Big Red, holding a 5-0-1 tally in a span dating back to 2017.

RIVALRY WEEKEND:

The Cardinals will stay at home to finish the week, launching the Ohio Athletic Conference slate with a prime showdown against cross-town rival Capital. First kick at Memorial Stadium is on the plate for 2 p.m.