BEXLEY, Ohio – Saturday afternoon featured a tough final result for the Otterbein men's lacrosse team despite a wildly entertaining matchup across town, as the Cardinals rested just short in a 15-13 rivalry game at Capital.

The Cards and Comets exchanged momentum-shifting plays throughout at Bernlohr Stadium, marking the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener for both teams. In the end, a strong start to the fourth quarter would propel the hosts in front for good…

Otterbein drops to perhaps the most competitive 1-7 record ever, as the seven opponents in losses stand a combined 44-15 at the moment. Four of those games have been decided by two goals or less.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT:

• Nathan Lewis scored 54 seconds into the game for Otterbein and, after Capital responded minutes later, the contest settled into a 1-1 score nearing the end of that first quarter.
   
• Otterbein caught some steam with a flurry bridging into the second. Nick Wile scored with 1:40 left in the opening frame before Lewis netted his second with just 13 seconds on the board. Wile scored again 50 seconds into the next period and Ty Forney quickly pushed the lead to 5-1 a few possessions later.
   
• A high-scoring second quarter ended up seeing 11 combined goals, with Capital embarking on a key 5-0 run midway through after standout Otterbein defenseman Lincoln Troxell was flagged for a pair of penalties. The Comets tallied four man-up goals in the stretch to jump ahead.
   
• Otterbein rallied to end the half, culminating on a goal from Max Graham with just seven seconds remaining to regain the Cards an 8-7 lead at intermission.
   
• The hosts delivered a 4-1 scoring run in the third quarter, but the span still encountered ties of 8-8, 9-9 and 11-11 transitioning in the fourth. Wile and Graham ripped in consecutive goals bridging the frames to force the latter deadlock.
   
• Capital found a difference-making run as the fourth quarter played out, scoring four times in less than three minutes to open a 15-11 cushion with just under seven minutes left.
   
• Otterbein received goals from Wile and Aidan Moore in the closing minutes to shrink the final margin, and also had possession in the closing seconds, but the damage had unfortunately been done.

 
BOX SCORE NOTABLES:

• The fast-paced game, delayed slightly to begin the afternoon as a result of inclement weather, eventually saw 98 total shots between the sides.
   
• Capital went 4 of 5 on extra-man opportunities while Otterbein came up empty on each of its three chances.
   
• Wile scored a career-high four times to lead four Cardinals with multi-goal efforts – Lewis (3), Graham (2) and Nick Clay (2).
   
• Both teams were near even on faceoffs. Eddie McDonald finished 15 of 29 for Otterbein and collected seven ground balls.
   
• Jacob Poole matched Wile with a game-high four goals.
   
• Both goalies made double-digit saves.

 
MOVING FORWARD:

• Otterbein finally gets back inside Memorial Stadium after spending nearly the entire month of March on the road, hosting Wilmington this coming Wednesday evening to continue OAC play.