POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
NCAA BRACKET
PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein women's soccer team continued its flare for the dramatic Friday night inside Memorial Stadium, tallying a pair of second-half goals to come from behind and top Dominican University in opening-round action of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Cardinals, ranked No. 24 in the latest national poll, keep its two-month unbeaten streak alive and improve to 17-2-1 on the season. They will square off against 18th-ranked Hope College come Saturday at 7 p.m.

Dominican, champions of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, sees its 16-match winning streak snapped and endures a first-round NCAA exit for the second-straight year. The Stars end their impressive season at 18-3 overall.

Both sides traded a few opportunities in the first half, with Otterbein's Priscilla Severance hitting the crossbar on a header in the 16th minute followed by a header from Annie Howell deflecting off the post at the 30:32 mark.

Dominican also saw first-half chances as Cardinal goalkeeper Erin Gordon stopped two shots in the opening minutes and then another pair shortly before intermission. Each team had attempted six shots at the break.

Otterbein had a prime run upfield early in the second half, as speedster Myiah Kelley went 1 on 1 with a defender in the 61st minute and saw a left-footed shot drill the crossbar.

The Stars countered less than a minute later down the far side, with Tania Perez turning the corner and finding an unmarked Josseline Williams in the box. Williams, who ranks top-five nationally in scoring, easily finished lower left for her 27th goal of the season.

Otterbein found new energy facing the 1-0 deficit, flipping the script and playing nearly the entire final 30 minutes on its offensive end. The equalizer came in the 74th minute from Kelley, who took a pass from freshman Delaney Earl and promptly beat a defender before rocketing a shot past the goalie.

Earl appeared to have put Otterbein ahead three minutes later by flicking on a ball into the box, but the home crowd was tempered momentarily as an offside infraction was called. Earl got her revenge in the 79th minute, however, as Howell worked past a defender on the near side and fed a perfect pass into the box. Earl was there to quickly finish lower right for her 12th goal this fall.

The Cardinal defense held strong from there, thwarting a few Dominican pushes down the backstretch and helping preserve the win. Otterbein ultimately finished with a 17-8 edge in shots as the Start managed just two attempts after halftime.

Both sides were whistled for nine fouls, Gordon made all four saves in the opening half and counterpart Abbey Brown had six on the opposite end.