PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio- Scoring early and often No. 22 ranked Otterbein women's soccer left no doubt who would win tonight's game, dominating the visiting Scots 5-0. The Cardinals (6-1-1) proved just how explosive their offense is just 15 minutes into the match, all but shutting the door on (5-1-1) Wooster.
The Cardinals offense took momentum early in the match when
Priscilla Severance used a nice move to beat her defender down the sideline, all while keeping her eyes up field and locating a wide open
Bella Shivley to put the Cards up 1-0. Severance and Shivley would connect again just seven minutes later when a pass once again found Shivley one-on-one with Wooster goalie Molly Hutter. Shivley was able to sneak the ball past Hutter and the Cardinals went up 2-0 just 22 minutes into the match.
After six minutes of action passed a Wooster foul would give Otterbein its next scoring chance. Taking the free kick from the 24-yard line Shivley was able to find a wide open
Haley Hott on the back door, as Hott used precise touch by heading the ball in as the lead swelled to 3-0.
With less than five minutes remaining in the half the Cardinals showed they weren't done yet, as
Delaney Earl broke free down toward the left end-line and located speedster
Myiah Kelley in the box. Kelley converted a chip shot while challenging a Wooster defender to give the Cards a 4-0 halftime advantage. The Cardinals outshot the visitors 12-2 in the first frame.
Early in the second half,
Emily Ganz was able to corral the ball at the 50-yard line and send a missile of a pass in front of the Fighting Scot defense where Kelley showed her skill once more, finishing low and away as the Cards lead ballooned to 5-0.
Wooster was never able to find any offensive rhythm, as
Erin Gordon only had to make two saves on six shots. The Cards finished with 21 shots, forcing Hutter to make 5 saves for the Scots.
Entering play tonight the Cardinal offense was ranked at No. 6 in the nation in scoring, averaging 4.29 goals per game. Senior 2x All-OAC defender
Cassidy Nicol returned to the lineup after resting a mild injury for three games, playing a key role in the shutout.
Otterbein will wrap up non-conference play on Saturday when they travel to Hanover (Ind.) for a 2 p.m. contest.
