Box Score

MARIETTA, Ohio – The Otterbein women's soccer team improved to 5-2-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference play with a 4-1 victory at Marietta on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals, who run their unbeaten streak to four games, improve to 9-6-1 overall and will play in their regular season finale on Saturday at Mount Union at 7 p.m. The first round of the OAC Tournament begins Nov. 2, with the top six teams being invited and the first two seeds receiving a first round bye. Otterbein currently sits in sole possession of third-place, two points behind second-place Ohio Northern who sits at 6-1 in the OAC.
 
Megan McCabe and Alex Ancona split a pair of goals in the opening period, netting their goals in the first 10 minutes of action. Ancona notched her first goal of the year less than three minutes into regulation, bending a corner kick past a host of Pioneer defenders into the back of the net. McCabe added to the Cardinal lead less than five minutes later, scoring on a header off a cross in the box from Madison Burchfield. McCabe now leads the team in points (23) and goals (9).
 
The Pioneers cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 31st minute on Ali Kowal's third goal of the season following a through ball by Layne Archer that found its way into Otterbein's box. The Cardinals dominated the first half in shots at 11-2, while also earning a 4-1 lead in corner kicks.
 
Ancona continued making her mark in the second half, scoring a goal and tallying another assist. She led McCabe to her second goal of the afternoon in the 74th minute on a corner kick that curved and sailed directly into McCabe's path for the score. A Marietta foul in the 89th minute set Ancona up for a free kick from 25 yards out, to which she netted to the upper left corner of the Pioneer goal. Ancona finished the game with five total points.
 
Otterbein controlled the shot margin throughout the entire contest, finishing with a 22-4 lead, totaling a stellar 16 shots on goal. The Cardinal defense in turn held its opposition to just four shots the entire game, three of which came on goal.
 
Cardinal goalkeeper Dana Strimbu totaled a pair of saves between the posts to earn her ninth victory of the year, while Rebecca Tenney was kept busy stopping 12 shots on the afternoon.