Otsego traveled to Coldwater to face off with the Cardinals in a non-conference matchup Thursday evening. Coldwater hadn't lost on their home field since the final match of their 2015 season, and Otsego took a 5-0 loss at the hands of the Cardinals last season. This year's team was determined to give the defending D2 Regional Champions a game, and they did that and more.

Coldwater's squad graduated a number of high profile players after last season, including the bulk of their attacking players. Coach Ken Delaney still has a solid core of players, and the X factor guarding his net in Senior keeper Balal Nassar. Otsego knew coming into Thursday night on the back of a 1-0 Wolverine Conference win over Paw Paw that they were in for a war. The players were sharp in warmups despite having just played a match, and the attack was clicking during the pregame routine. The question at hand was, "Would the back line step up and play a more solid and responsible match than they had all season?"

That question would need to be answered early in the match as Coldwater generated some good pressure early in the first half, but Otsego stood up to the test. Establishing possession was a goal for the Bulldogs, and they settled in after the first 15 minutes and began knocking the ball around a bit. Both sides would show their teeth in the middle third with tackles flying in, excellent challenges for aerial balls, and some nifty footwork to beat defenders and get out of tight situations. The final third seemed to be a different story as both teams struggled, but in different ways. Coldwater was applying pressure, but couldn't find the frame with a number of their shots. The Bulldog attack failed to find the final ball time and time again, and Nassar was off his line well to swallow up the Otsego mistakes. Bulldog forwards were doing well in creating turnovers and chances through their pressing, but still couldn't find the breakthrough. Both teams went into the break scoreless.

The focus for Otsego in the second half was balance, quality of the final ball in our attacking, and to limit our mental errors and capitalize on Coldwater's. The teams came out and showed the same intensity in the second half that they showed in the first, but Otsego seemed to have the edge in terms of decision making at key moments. The midfield trio of Ian McClellan, Coleton Hutchinson, and Josh Loll played the majority of the minutes in the middle of the park and were very committed all evening. Some help in there from Avery Bush, Jon Reitenour, and Addison Atwater helped keep the trio fresh and solidify our play in the center. Their ability to transition both ways all night was the difference, and it led to the breakthrough after an hour of play. Senior Captains Loll and McClellan would combine after winning the ball near the half line to open the scoring. Ian's well weighted poke pass to Josh opened a window to shoot from about 32 yards out. Those who have seen Loll play know that he doesn't often miss those chances when he has them, and he lived up to that standard with an excellent strike past the diving keeper. 1-0 Otsego.

Coldwater kicked it into high gear after giving up the goal, and were more aggressive in their play, and looked to penetrate on the dribble and with cutting balls into the channels. Otsego was determined along the back line, and had to put out a number of fires in the final 15 minutes. Center backs Jerin Jameson and Cole Sallee were instrumental in leading the unit, and Sophomores Kevin Gibson and Jon Reitenour made huge contributions with some well timed clearances and aerial play. Goalkeeper Jayden Dentler played with intensity throughout and was flying all over his 18 yard box in commanding fashion. His hands were flawless as he made 13 saves, smothered 3 1v1 chances, and collected cross after cross while dealing with tons of traffic. The forwards dropped off and stayed composed and responsible as they were needed in the wide areas to do some very crucial defensive work, as well as their usual pressing of the opponent's back line.

As the buzzer sounded, Otsego players celebrated a hard fought and well deserved victory. Despite being out-shot on the night, the Dawgs made the most of their chances and could have had a couple more if an Ian McClellan snap header and a Jakson Dentler breakaway had found the back of the net in the second half. A win is a win, and against a program that has enjoyed the success that Coldwater has in recent memory, Otsego walks away feeling like they have taken a step in the right direction.