Otters Climb Table With 3–0 Win Over Tobacco Road

The Otters stayed pushed their unbeaten streak to four, as they dropped Tobacco Road FC 3–0 on Saturday night. In front of a packed out Perch and on-field seating, the Otters used two early goals to take control of the game before adding to their lead in the second half. The win moves the Otters into fourth place in the South Atlantic Division, just one spot below the playoff line. The Otters stay at home to face the first place North Carolina Fusion U-23s at 7 PM THIS WEDNESDAY! Tickets are already on sale for on-field seating and general admission at ottersoccer.com or on HappsNow!

From the first whistle, the Otters looked to get on the board in a critical mid-table contest. The breakthrough came almost immediately, as Tom Tzabari (Duquesne) received a pass from Agu Ortiz (Anderson) and took one touch before blasting his shot past the keeper in just the second minute of the match.

It did not take long for the Otters to double their lead. In the eighth minute, Guillermo Segovia (Florida Tech) received a pass in the attacking third and executed a perfect give-and-go with Izzy Garcia-Perez (UNC-Asheville) to get behind the Tobacco Road backline before calmly slotting the ball home and celebrating with the fans in The Perch.

Offensively, the Otters continued to roll, controlling much of the possession. Henrik Guenther (ETSU) and Gabriel Ramos (ETSU) dominated both sides of the ball from their wingback positions, continually sending in crosses to Segovia, Garcia-Perez, and Danilo Seglio (Loyola Maryland).

The second half was much of the same story, with Ortiz forcing an excellent save from the Tobacco Road just three minutes into the half. However, the Otters could not be kept off the board for long when a Ramos cross found Guenther in the box who headed the ball past the keeper for the final goal of the night

Tobacco Road were able to generate a little more offense in the second half, but the backline of Sam Catherall (Gardner-Webb), Jan Gruhn (Shorter), and Matt Skinner (UNCG) deftly dealt with any real danger. The best chance of the night for Tobacco Road came in the 56th minute, but goalkeeper Mars Gohier (Florida Southern) was able to knock the long range shot out for a corner. He finished the night with three saves and his second clean sheet of the season.

From there the Otters saw out the game, forcing turnovers and pushing for more goals. The win gives the Otters 11 points through eight games and brought them up to .500 with a 3–3–2 record. The Otters also now sit in fourth place in the division, one spot out from playoff position.

On Wednesday, the Otters will welcome first place NC Fusion to TVA Credit Union Ballpark at 7 PM! There will be a special food promotion at the match and tickets are already on sale at ottersoccer.com! Be sure to follow Ottersoccer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date on all things Otters this summer! #FearTheFur