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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – A marathon home opener with multiple whistles and stoppages didn't settle in Otterbein's favor Tuesday evening, as visiting Kenyon pulled away in the second half to claim a 16-8 decision.

The Cardinals, now 1-1 on the season after beating Transylvania, took an early lead but couldn't maintain the control in getting back to even on the season. The Ladies, playing their first contest of the spring, begin on a high note after only playing a few matches last school year.

Otterbein looked sharp early, building a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter after goals from Emily Willms, Carli Rigel and Macey Buchanan (man-up).

Kenyon settled in from that point, going on a 7-2 run across the remainder of the first half to jump ahead for good. Three goals in less than two minutes during the middle portion of the second quarter opened some breathing room.

The Cardinals flew back out of intermission, netting three scores by the 7:27 mark of the third quarter to only trail 9-8. However, Kenyon kicked into full gear down the stretch to score the final seven goals of the contest.

The Ladies finished with a doubled-up margin in shots (at 40-19) and were almost perfect on clear attempts at 15 of 16. The Cards cleared the ball on just 14 of 22 occasions and unfortunately committed three times as many turnovers on the night.

Otterbein freshman goalie Maggie Nance stood tall in the cage once again, keeping the home side within striking distance en route to an impressive 15 saves. She now has 27 through two games.

Ella Murphy and Caroline O'Neill both scored four times for the visitors while Buchanan (three goals) and Lauren Newkirk (three assists) paced the Otterbein offense. Rigel and newcomer Riley Smith also had multi-score outings.

The Cards will stay at home to finish out the week, hosting Centre come Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.