MARIETTA, Ohio – After being forced to take more than two weeks off due to CoVID-19 medical protocols, the Otterbein women's lacrosse program returned with a victory Wednesday night on the road.

The Cardinals, back in action for the first time since April 3, used a steady effort en route to securing a 12-8 victory over the Pioneers inside Don Drumm Stadium. Otterbein sweeps the season series as a result following a dominant 20-3 triumph in the first matchup back in early March.

The rematch was much closer and more competitive, as neither team hit the scoreboard until senior Julia Karas found the back of the net roughly 10 minutes in.

Otterbein extended that lead across the midway point of the half, as senior Cameron Finnegan scored twice and then assisted Emily Willms for a 4-0 advantage.

Carli Rigel pushed the Cardinal lead to 5-0 minutes later, but Marietta stayed within striking distance to close the half and only trailed 6-2 by intermission.

Marietta scored to begin the second frame, but another pair of quick goals off the stick of Karas were important to keep the hosts at arm's length. Otterbein maintained a fair distance moving forward to get out of town victorious.

Otterbein's balanced attack saw multiple goals from Karas (4), Finnegan (3), Wills (2) and Macey Buchanan (2). Hope Adams and Shannon Doyle both recorded hat tricks for the Pios.

Buchanan impacted multiple areas of the turf, also snagging seven draws to go along with five caused turnovers and four ground balls.

Both teams won 11 draw controls on the night, in a game that also featured a combined 44 turnovers. Otterbein saw just three free-position chances throughout the game compared to eight for Marietta (6-9 OAC)…

But Cardinal goalie Leah McNutt stood tall once again, coming up with 13 saves throughout to benefit the defensive cause. She has seven games this year with double-digit stops.

Otterbein (8-4 OAC) will finish out the regular season on the road Saturday afternoon, traveling to Alliance for a rematch with Mount Union. The Cards dropped a 21-16 contest in the first installment with the Purple Raiders, a game they led 7-1 early on.