NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Cardinals used a balanced effort on the offensive end to build a 9-2 lead by halftime at Muskingum, and kept the hosts at arms' length moving forward Friday afternoon to notch another conference win.
Otterbein, prevailing 13-8 by the time it was said and done, saw nine different players score prior to intermission to ultimately help grind out a road win. The Muskies now stand 5-6 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Otterbein took control with a big first half and never trailed on the day. The game was tied (1-1) midway through the opening quarter before the Cards struck a 7-0 run to create nice separation…
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- An unassisted goal from Max Graham began the sequence of seven different Cardinals finding the back of the net. Nick Clay, Nathan Lewis, Sam Swisher, Ty Forney, Cole Werbrich and Aidan Moore all rallied off each other consecutively.
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- Muskingum scored to briefly stop the momentum before Nick Wile got into the scoring fun just before halftime, giving Otterbein a 9-2 lead entering the break.
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- Both sides played roughly even throughout the second half, but the damage had already been done by the Cards to secure an OAC road win.
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- The Muskies closed within 11-6 early in the fourth, but a goal from Zach Mulligan followed by a man-up conversion from Aidan Moore helped Otterbein cruise down the stretch.
STATS THAT MATTERED:
- Eight different Cardinals contributed multiple points on the day, including two goals off the sticks of Wile, Lewis, Graham and Werbrich. Otterbein finished with a 39-29 shot margin.
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- The Cardinals saw other chances to bust the game open, but finished just 1 of 8 on extra-man opportunities.
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- Goalie Luke Farthing made nine saves in the cage before giving way late to backup Miles Wilke, and also tied for a team-best five ground balls.
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- Otterbein went a perfect 23 of 23 on clears.
UP NEXT:
The Cardinals will have Easter Weekend off before getting back to action middle of next week, heading up north to play John Carroll on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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