CLEVELAND — Men's Soccer overcomes No. 22 Case Western with a lone goal, clinching a notable victory. An early goal provided the Cardinals with a crucial lead, leading to a hard-fought win. The match was also a milestone event for several players, who achieved personal career milestones, making it a memorable occasion for the whole program.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (1-0-0 overall), #22 Case Western Reserve (0-1-0 overall)
• Venue: DiSanto Field — Cleveland, Ohio

The Match

• The Spartans ignited the game with a shot on goal in the first 30 seconds, giving freshman Jason Villalobos his first career save.
• The Cardinals struck early on the scoreboard with a goal in the 17th minute. Drew Boettcher delivered a pass to Nick Isaac in the center of the field. With three defenders closing in, Isaac unleashed a rocket shot from the 10-yard line. The ball struck the bottom left corner, giving Otterbein a 1-0 lead.
• Case Western recorded 11 shots, more than doubling Otterbein's total of 4.
• The game saw a total of 23 fouls, with two yellow cards and one red card issued to the Spartans.

Notables

• This marks the first time in program history that the Cardinals have secured an away victory against Case Western
• Otterbein has a 2-3 overall record in the series
• Goalie Villalobos made his first career start and recorded his first save for the Cardinals
• Midfielder Boettcher recorded his first career assist on the game's only goal

Quote From Head Coach, Jason Giffiths: 
"It was a great way to open up our 2024 season. Case Western is a very good team with a great coach. They are very hard to break down and don't give anything away. 
We scored a great goal and defended really well in order to come out with a tough win on the road. I am proud of the way our guys competed."