WESTERVILLE — A late goal from senior Kesley Louderback gave the Otterbein women's soccer team a 3-2 win over Heidelberg in the first round of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday night. The victory sends the Cardinals to Thursday's semifinals at Ohio Northern.

The Basics

• Records: Otterbein (9-4-6 overall), Heidelberg (10-4-5 overall)
• Venue: Memorial Stadium - Westerville, Ohio
• Otterbein is the No. 4 seed in the tournament, and Heidelberg is the No. 5 seed.
• Otterbein advances to play at No. 1 seed Ohio Northern on Thursday at 7 p.m. The other semifinal will feature No. 3 seed Capital at No. 2 seed John Carroll. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
• OAC Tournament page

The Game

• Otterbein took the early lead on a goal from junior Cami McCulty in the 21st minute assisted by senior Lauren Alley.
• The Cardinals increased their lead to 2-0 in the 45th minute on a goal from senior Bailey Zanella via a corner kick assist from senior Lindsey Whitmore.
• Otterbein led 2-0 at halftime with an 11-0 edge in shots, including 6-0 in shots on goal, and a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
• Heidelberg was awarded a free kick from just outside the goal box on an Otterbein handball violation, and Syd Hewer turned it into a goal in the 74th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1.
• Hewer tied the score in the 81st minute, finding the back of the net with a shot over the outstretched arm of Otterbein junior goalkeeper Ella Schwertfager.
• The Cardinals came up with some late heroics courtesy of Louderback and freshman Natalie Smith. Smith took a corner kick, and Louderback headed it into the back of the net in the 88th minute for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
• Otterbein out-shot Heidelberg by a 20-4 margin, including an 8-2 edge in shots on goal, and a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Video Highlight

• Kesley Louderback's game-winning goal

Quotes

• Senior Kesley Louderback on her game-winning goal: "I knew Nat had a killer in-swinger, and I knew exactly where she was going, so I just followed through and placed it. It turned out really well for us."
• Freshman Natalie Smith on her corner kick assist: "I kicked the ball, and I thought it was curling in, and all of a sudden it's at the net."
• Head coach Brandon Koons: "They scored two really good goals, and the thing that becomes very difficult is controlling your emotions. We out-shot them 20-4, and at that point, it's very hard to not freak out. You could hear the anxiety on the bench and in the stands, but when the kids on the field find a way to keep their cool, you get what we got tonight, which was a perfect service and a perfect finish. I'm super impressed."
• Koons on taking the momentum forward: "We've been having trouble scoring, and we scored three goals tonight, so I'll take that confidence."

Notables

• Otterbein and Heidelberg played to a scoreless draw in both teams' regular-season finales on Saturday. The Cardinals are 16-2-1 against the Student Princes since 2007.
• McCulty's goal was her third of the season. She has 12 career points on five goals and two assists.
• Alley's assist was her third of the season. She has 32 career points on 10 goals and 12 assists.
• Zanella's goal was her second of the season. She has 31 career points on 13 goals and five assists.
• Whitmore has seven career points on two goals and three assists.
• Louderback's goal was her third of the season. She has nine career points on four goals and one assist.
• Smith's assist was the first of her career.
• Head coach Brandon Koons, now in his 26th year at Otterbein, holds an all-time record of 347-106-48 with the Cardinals.