UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – A trailblazing season for the women's lacrosse program came to a close Thursday night, as Otterbein dropped an 18-8 contest in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament semifinal at top seed John Carroll.

The Cardinals, seeded fourth in the six-team event, end their season with a 9-6 overall record after recently hosting/winning the program's first postseason contest earlier this week. JCU, the league's regular-season champion, advances to host Mount Union in the title game this weekend.

HOW IT WENT DOWN:

• Otterbein held a 2-1 lead after 11-plus minutes of action, including a man-down goal from senior Julia Karas.
   
• The high-scoring Blue Streaks kicked into gear midway through the half, using a methodical run en route to a 7-2 advantage by intermission.
   
• Three different Cardinals scored to begin the second period, trimming the gap to just 8-5 with 22:56 left on the clock.
   
• However, John Carroll responded with a 5-0 run to recreate more separation and ultimately put the game away.

 
LOOKING AT STATS:

• Karas scored five goals to lead Otterbein and classmate Cameron Finnegan notched three points. They both finish top-five in program history for multiple stat categories.
   
• John Carroll finished 18 of 22 on clear attempts while the Cards went just 14 of 25.
   
• JCU benefited on free-position opportunities, going 6 of 8 while the Cardinals were awarded just four.
   
• Sophomore goalie Leah McNutt, a 3x OAC Defensive Player of the Week this year for Otterbein, finished with 14 saves in the cage. It marked the ninth game this season reaching double digits.

 
SEASON REFLECTION:

• Otterbein got itself back into the top four of the OAC and also became ranked in the region (7). The Cardinals were positioned among the top-20 nationally in draw controls most of the season.