WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein women's lacrosse team held on by the slimmest of margins Wednesday night to claim victory in its season opener at Memorial Stadium, as sophomore goalie Maggie Nance saved a free-position attempt in the closing seconds to preserve a 7-6 decision.

The Cardinals, who trailed 5-3 with under 10 minutes remaining in the contest, saw junior Carli Rigel erupt with three-consecutive goals down the stretch to spark a come-from-behind effort. Otterbein wins its fourth season opener in a row..

Transylvania now stands 1-1 on the young season after topping Birmingham-Southern during its 2023 debut.

WHAT WENT DOWN:

• Both teams traded goals early in a rather low-scoring, defensive oriented tussle. Riley Smith (Otterbein) and Charlotte Green (Transy) netted two goals for their respective teams to begin, each scoring once on the free position and again during play in a crowded box.
   
• Carli Rigel pushed the Cardinals back in front near the end of the first half, beating a pair of defenders through traffic and slipping a shot home with just 57 second remaining until the break.
   
• The Pioneers jumped in front as the second half progressed, holding the Cardinals scoreless for 21 minutes of game time en route to a 5-3 advantage. Charlotte Green capped the run for Transy with a man-down goal.
   
• Otterbein tied the game at 5-5 on a goal from Emily Willms and Rigel put the team ahead 6-5 moments later, but a man-up goal from Linley Dawns on pulled the visitors even.
   
• Rigel, who snagged timely draw controls in crunch time, tallied the different maker with 1:23 on the clock to net the eventual game-winner…
   
• Transy saw one last chance after a successful clear and foul on Otterbein with just 2.6 seconds left, but Nance (reigning OAC Goalie of the Year) stood strong to corral a point-blank shot.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Rigel and Green tied for a game-best four goals, with Rigel also leading all players at six draws.|
   
• Otterbein's defense forced Transy into going just 15 of 34 on clear attempts.
   
• Both teams combined to go 4 of 20 on free-position attempts.
   
• Nance made 14 saves in goal while counterpart Abi Waldron was equally impressive, notching 18 stops in the visitor cage.

UP NEXT:

Otterbein stays at home to finish out the week, hosting nearby Ohio Wesleyan as the second part of a doubleheader with the men's program around 4 p.m.