BALTIMORE, Md. — The Otterbein men's soccer team fell 1-0 to No. 21 Washington & Lee (Va.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday evening at site host Johns Hopkins (Md.).

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (12-7-3 overall), Washington & Lee (14-3-4 overall)
• Venue: Homewood Field - Baltimore, Md.
• Otterbein earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament via its Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
• Official Tournament Page
• NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament Bracket

The Game

• Otterbein conceded a single goal in the 14th minute when W&L executed a backward pass to a teammate, creating an open opportunity. Freshman goalkeeper Jason Villalobos managed to get a hand on the shot, but the ball deflected backwards and into the net.
• The Cardinals recorded just six shots, only one of which was on target, while the Generals outpaced them with 11 shots, five on goal.
• The game featured a total of 27 fouls, with five yellow cards issued.

Post-Game Press Conference




Notables

• This marks Otterbein's third NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three years, joining 2021 and 2023.
• The Cardinals and Generals played to a 3-3 draw last season in a neutral-site game in Charleston, W.Va.
• Champions of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament, Washington & Lee is ranked No. 21 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division III Poll.
• On Thursday, Villalobos was announced as the Ohio Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year. Villalobos, senior Nick Isaac and graduate student Mark Wischmeyer were named All-OAC First Team, graduate student Drew Holman was a Second Team selection, and graduate student Carter Ely and senior Hayden Vu were Third Team picks.
• Isaac is the program's all-time record-holder for single-season assists with 14 this year.
• In his eighth season with the program, head coach Jason Griffiths holds an overall record of 94-39-15.