ALLIANCE, Ohio – It was a one-possession battle the entire first half Wednesday night in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) semifinals, but top seed Mount Union eventually posted a huge third quarter to pull away and eliminate No. 4 seeded Otterbein at Kehres Stadium.

The Purple Raiders, coming off a regular-season title, only led 7-5 at halftime before erupting to score nine goals in the third quarter alone. That stretch allowed Mount to cruise down the stretch for a 19-7 final decision.

The Cardinals end their season 8-8 overall as a result after making the OAC semifinals for a third-straight year.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT:

• Both teams appeared sharp and ready to compete early, with the Cards grabbing a 2-1 lead in the opening five minutes thanks to goals from seniors Emily Willms and Lauren Newkirk.
   
• Mount Union created a little momentum after that with a three-goal run near the end of the initial frame, but Otterbein's Carli Rigel answered that stretch with a goal herself just 16 seconds later to leave the score 4-3 at the quarter turn.
   
• Each side traded consecutive goals throughout a very even second period, which saw another two by Rigel, but a critical man-down score by the Raiders.
   
• The hosts still only led 9-6 nearing the middle portion of the third quarter before taking control. Mount would score seven times over the next 10 minutes of game time, creating a double-digit cushion and never looking back as rain also crept in.
   
• Otterbein unfortunately went roughly 25 minutes without scoring until Rigel converted a man-up goal in the closing seconds of the night.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Mount Union held a 36-21 shot advantage and received six goals from Julia Bates. Three other Raiders added six-point efforts themselves.
   
• Rigel tied her career-high with an efficient five goals, occurring on just six shots. She also led all players with eight draws.
   
• Abby Lindkvist made a dozen saves for the home team while counterpart Maggie Nance had eight for the Cards.
   
• Willms, the reigning IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week, scored just the once but still finishes her career as Otterbein's all-time leader in points, goals and draw controls while holding other single-season and single-game marks.

SAY GRACE:

"This senior season has taught me how to be someone my teammates can always count on and learn how to lead by example. I have loved being partof a college team these past four years and cannot imagine how different my life would be without this program. I truly have learned so much (from everyone) and remain so thankful to have been surrounded by such strong and positive women." - Grace Cory, senior defender

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY:

• Mount Union advances to the OAC Final this weekend, hosting second-seeded Capital for the right to play in the NCAA Championships. The Comets survived an overtime game with John Carroll in that semifinal.