BEXLEY, Ohio – Revenge is a dish best served… well, however it happens to come.

The Cardinals made the quick 13-mile trip across town to Bernlohr Stadium with a sour taste in their mouth on Saturday night, coming off a disappointing rivalry outcome last fall in which the Comets escaped Memorial Stadium on a goal with just 11 seconds remaining.

It needed a wait of nearly 365 days, but Otterbein released that demon and regained possession of "The Oar" with a gritty 2-1 victory over Capital behind a late goal from senior Morgan Somers. The Cards improved to 5-2-2 overall and launch Ohio Athletic Conference play with a bang.

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KEY MOMENTS:

• Graduate student Cailynn Adelman, back in uniform after missing the last game and making her first start as a Cardinal, helped give Otterbein a lead in the fifth minute. A quick throw-in from Camryn Earl found the feet of Anjuli Anderson up the right sideline. "AJ" took a quick touch and then crossed the ball into Adelman, where she finished nicely in a bit of traffic while going to the ground.
   
• Capital pressed forward from there and forced Otterbein to weather a push defensively, as Ella Schwertfager had to make three saves before halftime. Two of those came in the closing minutes before intermission.
   
• The Comets kept firing shots to begin the second half, but Schwertfager stood tall each time in making another trio of stops in the opening seven minutes.
   
• Capital eventually drew even moments later (at the 54:10 mark) on a similar sequence to how the Cardinals scored. A cross from nearly the exact same place on the field found a challenge in the box, and a free ball was cleaned up by Sophia Leonetti.
   
• Otterbein fired off a pair of shots after the equalizer and both sides traded possession leading into the homestretch, but the Cards would soon find a difference maker…
   
• Somers worked hard around the edge to win a corner kick, and then played the role of hero on the ensuing set piece from Anderson. Her incoming ball was slightly batted out from the goal line but Somers was there (front and center) to smoke a redirect in with her right foot and give Otterbein a 2-1 lead.
   
• Rugged defending ensued before the Cardinals managed to escape behind enemy lines, giving Otterbein a fourth win in the last five meetings with their rival.

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STAT CHECK:

• Capital finished with a 21-9 margin in total shots, including a 9-4 edge on goal.
   
• Schwertfager came up strong nearly every time, however, in making eight saves on the night. She tied a career-high, ironically set last year against the Comets.
   
• The hosts were whistled for 13 of 17 fouls on the night.

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MARCHING ON:

The Cardinals will have another massive showdown in the early stages of OAC play to begin next week, hosting defending champ Ohio Northern come Wednesday night at Memorial Stadium. First kick is set for 7 p.m.