Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's soccer team opened the 2026 season with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Otterbein University on Tuesday night at Shults Field.
The Cardinals scored the match's lone goal in the sixth minute, converting an early opportunity to take a 1-0 lead.
"I don't believe in moral victories, but I do believe that when you don't get the result you want, you have to learn from it. I take some ownership of how I set us up because I wanted us to be aggressive, and they're a very aggressive team. That's part of the challenge of playing the first game of the year, you don't have any film or scouting reports to work from," Head Coach Blake New said.
Otterbein continued to apply pressure throughout the opening half, but Oberlin goalkeeper Lukas Verling kept the Yeomen within striking distance. Verling made five first-half saves before the Crimson and Gold began creating opportunities at the other end.
Walter Gomez-Torres registered Oberlin's first attempt in the 19th minute. The Yeomen generated a flurry of opportunities in the closing minute, with Gregory Codjoe and Ian Herrera each getting a look at goal.
Oberlin continued to push for the equalizer after the break. Michael Dolton produced the Yeomen's best opportunity in the 62nd minute, putting an attempt on target. Codjoe followed with another shot just seconds later.
Verling remained strong at the other end, turning away four attempts during a five-minute stretch in the second half. He finished the night with nine saves before Vince Fortuna entered in the 83rd minute.
Jack Kaplan gave Oberlin one final opportunity in the 80th minute, but his attempt sailed over the crossbar as the Cardinals held on for the 1-0 victory.
"I was proud of the way we responded, and we had our chances. If we had gotten one of those opportunities to go in, I would have been pretty pleased with a tie against a team that was picked second in the OAC and reached the NCAA Tournament last year. Again, there are no moral victories, but there are lessons we can take from this," New concluded.
Otterbein held a 21-10 advantage in shots, including a 10-1 edge in shots on goal, and earned five corner kicks to Oberlin's four. The physical contest also featured seven yellow cards.
Oberlin remains at home to host St. John Fisher on Saturday, September 5, at 2:30 p.m.
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