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DELAWARE, Ohio – Drama came into full effect Tuesday night in the annual early-season men's lacrosse showdown between Otterbein and Ohio Wesleyan, a contest rescheduled from last week due to previous unplayable field conditions inside Selby Stadium.

The sides were finally able to square off, and it was host OWU that barely survived in a wild 12-11 overtime thriller that saw momentum swings and opportunities on both ends.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Ohio Wesleyan opened strong with three assisted goals in the first quarter, tw set up by Jack Jeschke.
   
• An evenly-balanced Otterbein attack exploded for seven goals in the second quarter, courtesy of five different players. Senior middie Joe Sanfillipo went into halftime with a hat trick.
   
• Both clubs traded goals to begin the third frame before OWU strung together a 3-0 run, carrying a slim 11-10 lead into the fourth.
   
• Otterbein appeared to have tied the game (at 11-11) early in the fourth quarter, but a goal from Robby Fields was waved off after being called for a new lunging penalty in the circle. The Cards weathered a man-down storm and soon received an equalizer from Jake Grundey immediately after. It was the only score by either team in the final period.
   
• Drew McDonald had a close look with 6:35 to play in the fourth but OWU goalie Zach Brasser made an important save. The game eventually headed to overtime, with Otterbein being awarded possession after a push on the faceoff.
   
• Sanfillipo looked to have won the game less than 40 seconds into overtime when a shot hit the post and potentially came back into the net. Referees ruled the ball never went in and Otterbein was subsequently issued a penalty for too many men on the turf.
   
• Both teams traded possession before Ohio Wesleyan ended the night, as Colin Greene netted his game-high fourth goal with just 1:05 to play in the first OT.

 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Otterbein was attempting to beat Ohio Wesleyan for the first time in program history after dropping the previous seven meetings. OWU had outscored the Cards 55-15 across the last three matchups and was in the NCAA quarterfinals last year, going 17-4 overall.
   
• Eight different Cardinals scored for the second-straight game. Sanfillipo had another hat trick while Xander Seal roped in two goals of his own.
   
• The Cardinals won 10 of 17 faceoffs in the first half compared to 4 of 10 after intermission.
   
• Ohio Wesleyan (1-2) gets its first win of the year after losing games to Rochester and Messiah. Brasser had 13 stops in the cage to help his team crack the win column.
   
• Each team had exactly 16 turnovers and both were 1 of 5 on extra-man opportunities.

 
 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein will continue its slate against North Coast Athletic Conference teams this year, traveling to Wooster on Friday night looking for revenge after falling to the Fighting Scots each of the past two years. It will be the second of five games against NCAC completion this spring.