Box Score

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Cardinal women's lacrosse squad dropped a non-conference battle at home Sunday afternoon, finishing on the low end of a 20-10 game with visiting Transylvania University.

Otterbein (0-2) will have one more home contest before heading out on spring break, hosting Oberlin College this coming Friday at 5 p.m. The team will then head to Texas for a three-game trip.

The Cards opened strong and took a quick 2-0 lead, getting a goal from junior Abby Smoot less than 90 seconds in and then watching freshman Jenny Gavett find classmate Kiera Mulcahy for a man-up goal at the 24:58 mark.

Transylvania (2-0) would kick into gear shortly after, embarking on a 10-1 run throughout the middle chunk of the first half to find some breathing room. The Cardinals responded well to close the first half by scoring four times in the final five minutes, including two goals from sophomore Julie Platz, that shrunk the halftime deficit to just 11-7.

Both sides traded punches to begin the second period, with Otterbein only down 12-9 after goals from Smoot and Gavett in the early going. The Pioneers methodically pulled away from that point, however, using a 6-0 spurt to extend the gap and remain comfortable down the stretch.

Smoot tied for a game-high four goals, coming on just eight shot attempts, while Platz and Mulcahy also had multi-goal afternoons. Cameron Finnegan won six draw controls and the Cards went 4 of 9 on free-position attempts.

Transylvania had four-goal performances from Julia Ward, Rachel Johnston and Brianna McCulley while Salem Carlow netted three. Bailee Stevens corralled a game-best 10 draws as the Pioneers finished with a 40-21 shot advantage.

Otterbein split times with goalies, as Tasha Williams made five saves in the first half before freshman Allison Rhoads came on to stop seven after intermission. Mackenzie Dent had nine on the opposite end for Transylvania.