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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – In another similar theme to past meetings, a women's lacrosse matchup between Otterbein and Ohio Wesleyan remained tightly contested into the closing minutes Monday night inside Memorial Stadium.

In the end, it was a late goal from Otterbein junior Noa Crowley that shut the door and allowed the host Cardinals to prevail by a final score of 11-9. The Cards win their third-straight outing and get back to .500 on the season, now sitting 5-5 on the year and wrapping up a four-game homestand. Each of the past six meetings between the schools have been decided by five goals or less.

Both sides traded scores throughout the first half, seeing ties at 2, 3, 4 and 5 before a man-up goal from Otterbein leading scorer Abby Smoot gave her team a 6-5 lead entering intermission.

The Cards stormed out to begin the second half, beginning the period on a three-goal spurt to open a 9-5 lead just a few minutes in. Ohio Wesleyan (3-4) remained within striking distance and never went quietly, chipping away and eventually making it a 10-9 score following back-to-back goals from Mickey Rice in the closing minutes. The latter came with 2:26 on the game clock.

Otterbein's Kiera Mulcahy won the ensuing draw control, one of her five on the evening, but the Cards then committed a turnovers as OWU saw a final chance. The Bishops gave the ball away themselves, and Crowley scampered the length of the field to punctuate an insurance goal with 58 seconds to play.

Cardinal sophomore Ema Pusecker led everyone with a well-rounded offensive effort, scoring three times and then assisting another three for a game-high six points. Cameron Finnegan added a hat trick of her own.

Rice tallied five points for Ohio Wesleyan, which finished with a 29-26 edge in shots and also won 13 of 22 draw controls.

Otterbein goalie Allison Rhoads had perhaps the best game of her young career, stopping a season-best 11 shots in the cage to help limit OWU after halftime. Counterpart Kelly Coffyn had seven on the opposite end.

Mulcahy added five ground balls while defender Kenna Walquist looked sharp on the back line, snagging four balls herself and routinely clearing the ball upfield single-handedly. Otterbein finishes out its week on the road, traveling across town to Capital University on Friday. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.