PHOTO GALLERY
WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Otterbein women's soccer team took care of Alma College in the first-ever meeting between the schools Friday night, defeating the Scots 3-1 as all four goals occurred in the first stanza.
The matchup, originally scheduled for Saturday morning but recently moved up to a Friday showdown under the lights, gets Otterbein back to even this year at 3-3-1 overall.
HOW IT UNFOLDED:
After scoring first in the last three matches, the Cards jumped out to another lead through
Anjuli Anderson as the junior notched her first goal of the season.
Grace Weidenhamer also tallied her first assist of the season on the opening sequence.
Just past the 30-minute mark,
Mackenzie Peeke made a darting run into the box and kneed in a
Camryn Earl corner to put Otterbein up 2-0. Peeke, substituted onto the field no more than a minute earlier, got in front of the Alma defender and steered the ball into the top corner to double Otterbein's lead.
After also coming on as a substitute,
Ava Bruns made an immediate impact as she received the ball on the right side and added to the Cardinal lead with an inspired solo run that was buried into the bottom corner.
Just 40 seconds later, Lily Stephan got the Scots on the board before the break with a long-distance free kick that was just over the outstretched arm of Otterbein's keeper… and found its way under the crossbar.
STATS SUMMARY:
Otterbein hit the back of the net three times for the second straight match as its offense starts to click. The Cards now have eight goals over the last three outings after just two in the initial four.
The home side outshot the visitors 10-7, with six of those ten being on target. The Cards doubled their opponent in that category as the Scots only managed three shots on net.
The match was physical throughout as both teams racked up 11 fouls a piece, with Alma receiving the lone yellow card.
HEADING TOWARDS CONFERENCE PLAY:
Otterbein will stay home for its last non-conference match of the season, welcoming the Hiram Terriers on Tuesday. Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
