Box Score

HIRAM, Ohio - Junior Madison Burchfield tallied a pair of goals to help the Otterbein women's soccer team slip past Hiram, 2-1, on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals, who exit non-conference action with an even 4-4 mark, open Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play this coming Saturday at Heidelberg in Tiffin. Start time is slated for 1 p.m.

"It was tough tonight playing on a huge field and against an improving Hiram team," said head coach Brandon Koons. "Especially going down a goal early."

After surrendering a goal in the 7th minute to the Terriers, Otterbein managed to keep the deficit to one goal in the opening frame. Burchfield tallied the closest possible score for the Cards' in the initial period, heading a shot off the Terrier crossbar with 8:30 remaining before halftime.

The Cardinals outshot Hiram, 7-6, in the first half, totaling a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Over 15 minutes went by in the second half before Burchfield evened the score at one apiece on a header to the left post off a corner kick by Megan Gordon.

Burchfield then gave Otterbein its first lead of the night in the 80th minute, as Megan McCabe issued a lead pass from midfield that led to a breakaway goal struck to the left of Hiram goalkeeper Alina Mille. Solid defense for the final 10 minutes of regulation permitted the Cardinals to allow just one shot to the Terriers down the stretch.

"Coming back from being down 1-0 is an accomplishment and we should be pleased with ourselves," Burchfield said. "I'm so proud of the team tonight."

Koons echoed Burchfield in regards to the result and the way his team played. "I was really happy we kept our compsure, kept creating chances and finished a couple of nice goals in the second half. It showed a lot of character coming back tonight."

Otterbein finished the contest with a 17-12 lead in shots, including a 6-5 margin in shots on goal. A distinct 13-4 advantage in corner kicks also contributed to the Cards' tallying the road victory.

Cardinal goalkeeper Dana Strimbu earned her fourth victory in goal on the year, stopping four shots in 90 minutes.

Burchfield added how the team's non-conference schedule has helped them prepare for the start of league play this coming weekend. "We held our ground tonight and this sets us up with a little bit of a streak going into the OAC."

Otterbein outscored its opponents 17-12 over the course of the non-conference slate while surrendering a 1.49 goals-against average. The Cardinals have received four goals from Burchfield in their previous three wins, topping the team with nine points on the year.