OBERLIN, Ohio – The Otterbein men's soccer team opened its 2026 campaign with a convincing 1-0 victory over Oberlin College on Tuesday evening.
The Cardinals wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, finding the breakthrough just over five minutes into the match.
Alex Greene delivered a perfectly weighted through ball to
Mitch Wheeler, who timed his run well and found himself one-on-one with Oberlin goalkeeper Lukas Verling. The freshman calmly slotted his shot into the right side of the net to give Otterbein an early 1-0 advantage.
Otterbein nearly doubled its lead moments later, but chances from
Nate Werthmuller,
Rome Jacob, and
Aidan Stratmann all drifted off target.
Lincoln Wallace tested Lukas Verling in the 20th minute, and
Alex Greene forced another save five minutes later. The Cardinals took their 1-0 advantage into the halftime break after controlling much of the opening 45 minutes, outshooting the Yeomen 15-6.
The Cardinals continued to pepper the goal frame forcing four more saves from Verling.
Lincoln Wallace was at the center of the attack as he placed six shots on goal and finished with a team-high seven shots.
Jayden Burdine played all 90 minutes in goal where he recorded one save to preserve the shutout. Otterbein ended up outshooting Oberlin by a 21-10 margin.
Otterbein will host Carnegie Mellon in its home opener on Sunday, September 6 in a non-conference matchup. Game time is slated for 3 p.m. from Memorial Stadium.
