MARIETTA, Ohio — No. 15 ranked Otterbein University exploited a red card issued to Marietta college and scored the lone goal of the match less than two minutes after the infraction gave the Cardinals a man advantage Wednesday (Oct. 6) evening in Ohio Athletic Conference men's soccer action.
The loss drops Marietta to 4-5-1 overall and 1-1-0 in the OAC. Otterbein improves to 8-0-2 on the season and 2-0-0 in conference play.
"It is hard enough to beat a quality team like Otterbein, a team ranked 15th in the nation, with 11 players and virtually impossible with 10," Marietta head coach
Joe Bergin said. "I feel gutted by the loss. The team's effort was phenomenal, and I felt we were battling down to the wire and then the red card comes. A minute 44 later we give up the game winner. We preach discipline and we have struggled as a team to control that."
The two teams battle through rain and a lightning delay that last an hour and 42 minutes in the first half.
Marietta's
Elliot Britton (High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire/John Hampden Grammar) was whistled for his second yellow card, resulting in a red card and his ejection from the match, with 13:03 left on the clock. Otterbein made the Pioneers pay when Will Isaac took a free kick from near midfield and dropped the ball into traffic inside the 6-yard box where Joshua Conroy squeezed the ball inside the left post for the game winning.
Otterbein outshot the Pioneers 15-5 for the match, including a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. The Cardinals took six corners, while Marietta had five.
Andrew McIlvoy had three saves and a clean sheet in goal for Otterbein.
Ryan Riccillo (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak) went the distance in net for the Pioneers and recorded five saves in the match.
Marietta hosts Heidelberg University this Saturday (Oct. 9) for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
