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ADA, Ohio – The Otterbein women's soccer team played top-seeded Ohio Northern to a 1-1 draw before falling 3-2 in penalty kicks in the semifinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament on Wednesday night.
Otterbein concludes its 2017 campaign with a 13-4-2 overall record after earning the fourth-seed in the conference tournament, while Ohio Northern, ranked 13th in the latest national poll, advances to the championship game Saturday against the winner of tonight's John Carroll-Capital matchup.
The Cardinals, playing without two of its top players in sophomore Katie Best and freshman Bella Shivley due to injury, contributed greatly to a tight-knit defensive effort on both sides during the first half which was no surprise as Ohio Northern (0.53) and Otterbein (0.73) entered the game as the top-two defenses in the conference.
Ohio Northern held the advantage in shots through one half of action at 5-1, as Cardinal goalkeeper Erin Gordon helped keep the Polar Bear attack at-bay with a trio of saves.
One close call for the Cards came in the 24th minute when ONU's Jenna Fuller fired a shot from outside the box that carried through the air before Gordon and the Otterbein defense got a touch as the ball skimmed the crossbar before being saved.
Sophomore Haley Hott recorded the lone shot of the period for Otterbein, attempting a shot on goal that was saved by ONU goalkeeper Meagan Grierson.
Less than three minutes into the second half the Cardinals took game's first lead on a ball that was played back in center of the field by freshman Priscilla Severance to sophomore Annie Mosca, who sent the ball in from 25 yards out to give Otterbein a 1-0 lead.
ONU responded a little over nine minutes later to knot the score at one goal apiece, as Mary Kate Munz finished off a double-assist originally touched down the left wing by Hannah Martin before Megan Breier dished it for the score.
The score remained tied at one goal apiece through the remainder of regulation, before eventually entering double overtime.
Gordon made a diving stop on what could have been the golden goal with less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime, after a shot by ONU's Hannah Martin ricocheted of the crossbar before Sydney Leshank fired a shot that was saved.
ONU exited the second overtime with a 21-5 advantage in shots, leading to a shootout between the two squads. Otterbein subbed in goalkeeper Katie Both for the shootout, relieving Gordon who posted a stellar 11 saves in goal.
The Polar Bears converted their first penalty kick following a miss by the Cardinals, before sophomore Megan Losey tied it at 1-1 on the team's second attempt. Back-to-back shots were made by ONU and Mosca to keep the margin knotted at 2-2, before the Polar Bears went ahead 3-2 for good despite Both stopping their fourth attempt.
Freshmen Erin Gordon and Priscilla Severance were each named to the all-tournament team as representatives for the Cardinals.
