DELAWARE, Ohio – A furious rally down the stretch came up just short Wednesday afternoon for the Otterbein women's lacrosse team, which kept Ohio Wesleyan scoreless in the fourth quarter to close the gap in a disappointing 13-12 final.

The Cardinals trailed by five goals entering the fourth quarter, but ultimately settled on the low end of a non-conference battle just north of campus. Ohio Wesleyan remains unbeaten as a result… improving to 6-0 this spring.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Ohio Wesleyan scored the first three goals of the day before Otterbein hit the scoreboard, coming at 1:12 of the first quarter when Macey Buchanan found the back of the net.
   
• The Cardinals only trailed 5-3 midway through the second quarter, converting a pair of extra-man opportunities off the stick of Riley Smith.
   
• Both sides traded two-goal runs down the stretch of what became a very high-scoring period, leaving the hosts up 9-5 entering halftime.
   
• More back-and-forth scoring commenced in the third, with just two goals in the opening eight minutes and none over the final four.
   
• OWU led 13-9 with just over four minutes remaining before Otterbein came surging back. Emily Willms scored three-consecutive goals over a 2:36 of game time, and the Cards suddenly trailed by just one with 1:25 on the clock.
   
• Unfortunately, the Bishops would secure the ensuing draw control and bleed the clock.
   

STAT CHECK:

• Willms scored a game-high four times while Smith, Buchanan and Lauren Newkirk all added multi-goal efforts.
   
• Ohio Wesleyan finished with advantages in total shots (35-21) and draws (17-12).
   
• Maggie Nance came up with 13 saves in the net, extending her double-digit streak into the latter half of March now.

 
UP NEXT:

Otterbein will have more than a week off to regroup, getting back into action come March 26 when Ohio Athletic Conference play opens at Muskingum. Opening draw from New Concord is scheduled for 1 p.m.