PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio - In a matchup that featured rain, snow, and sun at a very energetic Memorial Stadium, the Otterbein Men's Lacrosse team emerged victorious over rival Capital to claim the first OAR in a reborn rivalry tradition.

The Cardinals, prevailing by a 7-5 final in the low-scoring slugfest, get back to 3-2 inside Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. The loss, meanwhile, sinks the Comets to 5-7 overall and 2-3 in league action.

WHAT WENT DOWN:

* Aidan Moore scored the first two goals of the game for the Cards. The first came at 8:22 in the first when Nick Clay fed a pass across the defense.

* Moore then netted his second when Ryan Sarka ran by his defender and found Moore alone on the backside just after a penalty released for the Comets.

* Otterbein held the Comets scoreless in the first quarter.

* Nick Wile opened the second-quarter scoring with a beautiful swim move over his defender that left him one-on-one with the goalie; he was able to bury the shot for a three-goal lead. The Comets finally got on the board with their only half score at the 5:16 mark. Otterbein carried a 3-1 lead into the break.

* The second half of play started with a man-up score from Capital; they started the half with possession due to a penalty late in the first half on the Cards. Kendrick Rodgers, who beat his man on the goal line and finished on the doorstep, then got the Cards back on the board.

* Capital used a two-goal run to make things exciting and tie the score at four.

* Otterbein answered with a three-goal run of their own, including a man-up score that stretched over the third and late into the fourth.

* Capital added one more tally at the 5:29 mark, but Zach Groene made some impressive saves down the stretch to preserve the win, including stuffing a Comet on the doorstep with under thirty seconds to play.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• On offense, the two sides were nearly equal with Capital taking one more shot (37) than Otterbein (36).
   
• Both goalies made 11 saves, and the two sides successfully cleared 14 times. The Cards attempted two more (20) than the Comets (18).
   
• Six different Cards scored a goal. Moore paced the offense with three points on two goals and one assist.
   
• This marks the third-straight win over Capital. In each victory, Otterbein has held the Comets to seven goals or less.
   
• Prior to opening faceoff, the Cardinals recognized a six-pack of seniors (Sarka, Rodgers, Dekaider Jackson, Adam Swindell, Marco Cuda and Trevor Rusk) for their contributions to the program.
   

UP NEXT:

The Cards will enjoy nearly a week off before heading to Berea for a 1 p.m. start with Baldwin Wallace on Friday.