Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Otterbein men's lacrosse team cracked into the win column Wednesday out west, flying past Wittenberg University by a score of 18-11 to split a pair of spring-break contests.

The Cardinals, now 1-3 on the year, bounced back nicely from a defeat against host Colorado College on Sunday and then a 9-3 exhibition loss to Division II Adams State the following afternoon. Otterbein will travel back and have a full week off before hosting Lycoming College (Pa.) next Wednesday.

 
Game 1 vs. Colorado College (15-10 Loss):

Otterbein opened strong and held leads of 3-1 and 4-2, the latter coming just seconds into the second quarter when Connor Dziewit converted off an assist from Justin McKee. The host Tigers settled in with a strong run before halftime, ripping off six-consecutive goals and then another two shortly after intermission to find themselves ahead 10-4.

The Cards did their best to chip away, clawing back to within 12-9 by the 11:44 mark of the final period until a pair of Colorado goals made the deficit just too wide down the stretch.

Joe Sanfillipo (2G, 3A) had a five-point day to lead Otterbein while Dziewit and Chandler Swartz both netted hat tricks. Defenseman Adam Grumman caused four turnovers in the back.

Colorado College held a 49-32 shot advantage and captured 16 of the 28 faceoffs. Coby Petau and Tom Haller both scored three times to lead the home team's charge.

 
Game 2 vs. Wittenberg (18-11 Win):

Otterbein's offense erupted in the first half against a familiar Ohio foe, scoring more goals (12) in the two quarters of play than in any of the previous three games overall. Both sides traded 4-0 runs in the opening frame before a pair of Chandler Swartz goals gave the Cards a 6-4 edge.

Otterbein maintained the offensive burst in the second period, scoring another six times and taking a 12-7 lead into the locker room for intermission. Wittenberg (1-3) scored three-straight times in the third quarter to stay close, at 13-10, but the Cards answered with another 4-0 run of their own to put the game away.

Swartz, Dziewit and Anthony Spingola all registered three goals and two assists for five-point games, but the bigger story was freshman Xander Seal tying Otterbein single-game records in assists (6) and points (8). Grumman also got in on a piece of program history, setting a new single-game best with a whopping seven caused turnovers.

Faceoff middie Mike Roman nearly matched a school record himself by winning 21 of 31 chances at the X to fall one win shy of the single-game best, set back in 2014 by Carlos Salazar. Otterbein roped off 44 shots and received 10 saves from goalie Matt Niemi, who had 13 on day one against the host school.