BEXLEY, Ohio – It was a highly-anticipated game with all kinds of storylines. Otterbein vs. Capital, first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference standings on the line, The Rivalry Oar up for grabs, head coach Brooke Delara returning to her alma mater on the opposite sideline, the upstart Cardinals looking to snap a nine-game skid in the series, and more.

With all that into account, it fittingly became another nail-biting clash on the women's lacrosse field this spring (for the Cards) just 15 miles across town inside Bernlohr Stadium. Despite leading by a goal late, the host Comets would rally down the stretch to survive a 17-14 classic between the foes.

That final result matched the largest lead of the day in a game that saw seven lead changes. Capital, defending OAC champions coming off a second-round appearance in the NCAA's, remain unbeaten at home and tied atop the league with Mount Union.

Otterbein, playing its fourth consecutive game decided by three goals or fewer, falls back to 4-2 in the league and third place alone.

HOW IT WENT DOWN:

• The Cardinals (playing in front of their largest crowd this season) set a tone with their first goal just 55 seconds into the game, but Capital quickly answered with three in a row. Momentum swings would ensure from there in a rather high-scoring first half.
   
• Capital surged to a 7-4 lead minutes into the second quarter before Otterbein found another gear, netting six of the next seven goals to punctuate the frame on a huge run. More impressively, five different Cardinals scored in the push en route to a 10-8 team lead by intermission.
   
• The Comets came flying out of intermission and multiple deadlocks ensued at 11, 12, 13 and 14 leading into the fourth quarter. Otterbein was looking to protect its 14-13 lead with roughly six minutes left, but the home side had other plans…
   
• Three goals in a two-minute span equaled a 16-14 lead for Capital, which won a few important draws and secured a final man-up goal with 1:41 left.

STATS ON STATS:

• The tightly-played, strategic matchup between coaches all too familiar with each other (student vs. teacher) saw most categories finish near even. Capital held a marginal 27-22 edge in total shots and both goalies only made nine saves combined.
   
• Otterbein held a 20-15 advantage on draw controls, with Carli Rigel winning a game-high 11 to reach 200 for her career. She is now just eight shy of another program record.
   
• A three-headed monster of Grace Osborn, Andi Henry and Ava Vendetti combined to score all but one of Capital's 17 goals.
   
• Both defenses certainly focused on stopping the opposing team's offensive star. Osborn, a preseason All-American, was held to her lowest goal output in a month. Rigel, averaging seven goals over her last five games, was limited to just a pair.
   
• The Cardinals were a perfect 3 for 3 on free-position shots while Capital went 6 for 9.
   
• Allison Miller scored a career-high four goals for Otterbein while Ava Robey had four assists.
   
• Delara, a former standout player for the Comets, made her anticipated return to Bexley just two short years after leading the nation in points as a fifth-year phenom in 2022.

UP NEXT:

Otterbein will have a chance to clinch at least a quarterfinal home game (and maybe more depending on other results) this coming Wednesday in the regular-season finale against Marietta, where it will also be Senior Night at Memorial Stadium. Opening draw is 7 p.m.