Box Score Photo GalleryWESTERVILLE, Ohio – Otterbein University women's soccer finished off its regular-season schedule with yet another victory Saturday evening, turning back Mount Union by a score of 3-0 on a cold night at Memorial Stadium.
The Cardinals, now unbeaten over their last 13 matches, end the regular-season at 12-2-4 overall and a near-perfect 8-0-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. Otterbein will be the top seed in next week's OAC Tournament and will host the winner of Baldwin Wallace and Mount Union in a semifinal matchup come Thursday night.
Mount Union (12-6, 5-4 OAC) saw an up-close opportunity to score in the 18th minute of play, but a shot from Mount Union leading-scorer Kelsey Malenic was immediately brought in by Cardinal goalkeeper Melissa Zang.
Otterbein leading-scorer Jillian Strimbu got her group on the board shortly after that sequence, heading in a curving corner kick from sophomore Alvi Shivley at the 19:27 mark.
Sophomore Madison Burchfield doubled the Cardinal advantage roughly ten minutes later, striking a left-footed shot over the head of Mount Union keeper Maria Favorite in the 31st minute.
Strimbu matched Otterbein's 25-year old single-season record for most goals (held by Melanie Evans) one minute into the second half, taking a pass and beating Favorite lower right for her 14th score of the year.
The lead would be more than enough for the Cardinals, who out-shot the visitors 17-12 and took three more corner kicks at 8-5. Zang had two stops in goal while replacement Andrea Pohlman made three of her own in the final eight-plus minutes of action as the Raiders attempted to get on the board.
Prior to match time, Zang and classmates Ali Stone, Alex Ancona, Alicia Contrascier, Melinda Stemen and KyLee Tuchfarber were recognized as part of Senior Night.
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