ADA, Ohio – A showdown of the top-two teams in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings lived up to expectations Wednesday night on the road, as Otterbein and Ohio Northern exchanged punches en route to a 2-2 draw at Kerscher Stadium.

The Cardinals snap an 11-game winning streak with the result, but keep an unbeaten stretch intact that has now lasted almost seven weeks. Both teams now stand an identical 13-2-1 on the year, 7-0-1 within league play and clinch first-round byes in the upcoming six-team OAC Tournament.

A dynamic weekend will be in store to help decide a regular-season champion and top seeding, as Otterbein hosts cross-town rival Capital on Saturday night while ONU plays host to Mount Union earlier in the day. Both of those opponents are currently tied for third in the standings.

Ohio Northern entered Wednesday's match with a defense ranked top-15 nationally, having allowed just one goal in the past 14 matches. Sophomore forward Priscilla Severance wasted little time changing those stats, converting her fifth goal of the season off an assist from Emily Ganz in the 22nd minute.

The Polar Bears were attempting to clear the ball but Ganz picked it away from a defender and slipped a touch bass to Severance, who one-timed a floater over the top of the keeper, off the crossbar and down into the net.

Otterbein carried that 1-0 advantage into halftime despite controlling a little more of the possession during the initial period. ONU kept pushing forward and found its first equalizer from leading-scorer Jenna Fuller, who converted a header from six yards out for her now league-leading 15th goal of the year.

The Cards responded almost immediately off the foot of Severance, who took a lead pass from freshman Delaney Earl less than four minutes later and beat Northern keeper Meagan Grierson lower right. A forward-moving Ohio Northern squad ended up finding another tying goal, this time watching Sydney Leshnak head in a corner kick at the 75:44 mark for her first score in 2018.

Both sides saw chances down the stretch in regulation, including a Polar Bear shot that was saved by Erin Gordon with seven seconds left, before the contest headed to overtime.

Each team played is closer to the vest in the extra sessions, with Ohio Northern posting a 5-0 shot advantage over the 20 minutes but to no avail. Gordon made two saves in the first overtime, including another one with just six seconds on the clock.

ONU finished with a 26-15 edge in total shots and a slim 6-5 margin in corner kicks. Gordin ended the night with six saves and Grierson had two on the opposite end.

Otterbein will now oddly enough look to beat Capital for the first time since 2012 come Saturday under the lights. The Crusaders hold a 5-0-1 record in the span (four by one goal), including a 2-1 overtime victory last season in Bexley.

The Cards will know exactly where they stand entering the match as Ohio Northern and Mount Union kick off at 1 p.m. ONU and Mount have four-consecutive 2-1 decisions, with the Polar Bears taking three of those narrow results.