Box Score BEREA, Ohio – Otterbein University women's lacrosse came up just short in its first-ever Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament contest Wednesday evening, falling 14-13 at Baldwin Wallace University in semifinal action.
The third-seeded Cardinals struck a late rally, out-scoring the Yellow Jackets 7-1 over the final 18 minutes of action to nearly complete the dramatic comeback. Otterbein erased a four-goal deficit with seven minutes to play earlier this season in a 14-13 home win over BW.
Baldwin Wallace, the tournament's No. 2 seed as a result of holding a tiebreaker over Otterbein, advances to Saturday's OAC Championship game at top-seeded Mount Union.
Otterbein opened strong, scoring the first three goals of the game before the Jackets ended the half on a 7-1 run. The Cards then faced a 12-6 deficit as the game clocked moved under 20 minutes, but stayed the course with a pair of goals from junior Tory Blatt to begin the comeback.
In a similar script to the April 16 home victory, BW held a four-goal cushion (14-10) with 7:27 remaining before goals from Courtney Hilfinger and Blatt kept the momentum on Otterbein's side. Blatt made it a one-score game with 1:23 remaining, and Otterbein would fall just short after winning the ensuing draw control but missing a free-position attempt with 39 seconds to go.
Blatt tied for a game-high five goals while Hilfinger and sophomore Morgan Hunsaker each netted three. Senior Kayle Quinter came up with six ground balls and three caused turnovers in her final collegiate game while Annie Kelly and Maria Blazcszyk each had a one-goal, one-assist night.
Both teams attempted 28 shots throughout, with BW goalies Bridget Walsh and Gabrielle Nondorf combining for 11 saves compared to seven for Otterbein's Rachel Snedegar.
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