WESTERVILLE  – In front of a lively Homecoming crowd, the Otterbein University men's soccer team pulled off a statement win Saturday night, rallying past No. 17 Case Western Reserve by a 2-1 margin at Memorial Stadium.

The Spartans struck first in the 25th minute, capitalizing off a corner kick that was redirected into the back of the net. Case carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime after outshooting the Cardinals 7-2.

Otterbein turned the tables coming out of the break, leveling the match at the 57:04 mark. A long throw-in was cleared only momentarily before senior Drew Boettcher gathered possession along the right side of the 18-yard box. He sent a cross to the middle, where freshman Eli Traber elevated and headed home the equalizer.

The Cards kept pressing and found the go-ahead strike just over 10 minutes later. Boettcher again helped spark the sequence, racing down the right sideline to save a long ball from going out. He then delivered a cross back into the box, where freshman Lincoln Wallace connected with a header to put Otterbein in front.

The defense held firm the rest of the way, stifling a late push from the nationally-ranked Spartans. Case Western generated just three shots after halftime as the Cardinals' back line and sophomore goalkeeper Jason Villalobos (three saves overall) anchored the effort.

Final stat lines showed Case Western holding a narrow 11-10 edge in total shots, while Otterbein produced four on target.

Otterbein will stay home to open Ohio Athletic Conference play next Saturday, Oct. 4, with a 2 p.m. matchup against Mount Union.