DANVILLE, Ky. – A knock-down, drag-it-out, nail-biting thriller opened the Alexis Venechanos head coaching era for the Otterbein women's lacrosse team Monday night, as the Cardinals escaped Centre College with a 9-8 overtime victory behind a goal from sophomore Macey Buchanan.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Both teams scored once in the opening five minute before the contest saw a string of momentum runs…
   
• Otterbein scored three-straight goals from that point, two coming off the stick of Cameron Finnegan, to open a 4-1 lead by the 15:57 mark. Centre countered with three-straight of their own to lock the contest at 4-4.
   
• Julia Karas scored with 3:35 left in the frame to give Otterbein a 5-4 lead at the intermission, and then found classmate Kiera Mulcahy for her third goal of the night to begin the second period.
   
• That lead evaporated as Centre rattled off four-straight goals in nine minutes, putting the Cards in an 8-6 hole with the game clock ticking under 8:00 to play. A scrappy Otterbein squad received two more goals from Karas down the stretch, and neither team scored over the final 5:09 of regulation.
   
• The 8-8 score remained across the initial three-minute overtime period before the field flipped. Buchanan punctuated the night with 2:03 remaining, taking a pass from Mulcahy in the box and finishing strong.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Otterbein exacts revenge after a 15-7 loss to Centre last year, now winning its season opener for the first time since 2015 when it defeated Huntingdon down in Alabama.
   
• Karas and Mulcahy both tallied four points to lead the Cards, who finished with a 36-22 shot advantage. Cameron Finnegan roped off a game-high 10 shots and added two goals herself.
   
• Otterbein captured 12 of the 20 draw controls, led by five from freshman Emily Willms and another four to Buchanan.
   
• Freshman goalie Leah McNutt made 12 saves in the cage, while counterpart Lola Duff had 16 on the home side.
   
• Defenders Katie Barber and Julie Platz combined to force nine turnovers in the back, with each scooping up six ground balls.

 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein will now return to Westerville for three-straight home games inside Memorial Stadium, beginning with a Thursday contest against Notre Dame College at 4:30 p.m.