PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – It was a wild season opener on the lacrosse field between Albion and Otterbein, as both teams traded momentum swings in a 12-11 overtime thriller Saturday afternoon at a brisk (but sunny) Memorial Stadium.

By the time it was said and done, Albion managed a walk-off goal just over 90 seconds into extra time that allowed the visitors to escape victorious. The Britons went 15-5 overall last year, winning the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and making the NCAA Tournament second round.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT:

• Otterbein came out firing on all cylinders, scoring four times in less than seven minutes to ignite the home crowd. Nathan Lewis bookended the sequence, including his first just 32 seconds into the contest, while the Cards also received goals from Ty Forney and Cole Werbrich in the span.
   
• Albion, playing without reigning All-American Jace Conley due to injury, eventually settled in and began chipping away…
   
• The Brits went on a 6-0 run over the remainder of the first half, scoring three times in each quarter. Ethan Rottell got things going with consecutive goals and teammate Sam Puzevic later beat the halftime buzzer on a goal with just three seconds left.
   
• Albion then held an 8-6 lead nearing the end of the third frame before Otterbein came soaring back. The Cards embarked on a 4-1 scoring run bridging into the final quarter, sandwiched with man-up goals from Nick Clay and Werbich (which gave the hosts a 10-9 lead).
   
• Rottell tied the game at 10-10 with another goal for Albion at 4:44 on the clock, and man-up goals off the sticks of Max Graham (Otterbein) and Brendan Mercier (Albion) traded punches for another deadlock at 11-11.
   
• Albion held for the final shot of regulation but couldn't convert, and the game headed for overtime where Otterbein captured the opening faceoff. After coming up empty, Brock Yabs roped in a tough-angled shot from the right side to end the day.

NOTABLE STATS:

• Werbrich and Graham both tallied hat tricks for Otterbein, which also saw three-point days from Lewis and Aidan Moore.
   
• Albion finished with a 57-37 edge in total shots, but sophomore goalie Luke Farthing kept the Cardinals right there with a career-high 18 saves. It marked just his third-career start.
   
• Rottell led the Britons with five points while Yabs (2G, 2A) added another four.
   
• Both sides went a combined 7 of 9 on extra-man opportunities.
   
• The Britons were an efficient 15 of 16 on clear attempts while Otterbein finished just 19 of 27.

MOVING FORWARD:

• The Cardinals will have a full week off to regroup before hosting Wooster for another non-conference clash next weekend. It will be part of a men's and women's doubleheader.