PHOTO GALLERY
ALLIANCE, Ohio – Just a few short months ago, the Otterbein women's lacrosse team was picked to finish seventh (of eight schools) in the Ohio Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll with uncertainty in the air…
The program had just welcomed young head coach
Brooke Delara, and a smaller roster had many around the OAC wondering what the Cardinals might look like for the spring of 2024.
But, in a true chapter of grittiness and coming together, Otterbein delivered perhaps its best/most competitive season in women's lacrosse since the sport was added back in 2012.
Otterbein assumed the No. 3 seed in this OAC Tournament after flirting with a regular-season title, coming up just short in narrow losses to Capital (1) and Mount Union (2) across a wild stretch of results in April.
Yet… despite a strong opening and valiant push late Wednesday night in Alliance, the Cardinals fell just short in semifinal action against the Purple Raiders to end their season with a 16-14 loss. Otterbein rests with a 10-6 record as a result after notching the most single-season victories in a decade.
HOW IT PLAYED OUT:
- Otterbein got smacked right in the mouth early as Mount Union built a 5-1 lead before you could blink. But the battle-tested Cards settled in and ripped off five unanswered to somehow lead after a high-scoring first quarter.
- Mount would dominate the middle frames, posting a 6-1 scoring edge in the second to eventually carry a four-goal lead into the halftime break.
- The Cardinals were searching for answers in trying to weather through what became a 22-minute scoreless drought, before Carli Rigel scored with 3:58 remaining in the third. Nevertheless, Otterbein faced a tough 16-9 deficit entering the fourth…
- Down but never out, the Cards displayed an admirable push to the finish line by outscoring the home team 5-0 in the final period… Ava Robey assisted Rigel on two of those netters (the last with 1:42 remaining), but Mount Union won a key draw control and was able to bleed the clock.
THE AFTERMATH:
- Rigel scored a game-high six goals in finishing off arguably the best individual offensive run in program history, resting with single-season records of 113 points and 86 goals. She converted at nearly a 79% success rate.
- Robey and Alyssa Glenn, both also named All-OAC earlier in the day, each tallied hat tricks to benefit the cause. Robey finished with the second-best point total in an Otterbein single season with 95, coming on a school-record 60 assists to go along with 30 goals.
- The Cards held a 35-29 shot advantage... but Mount Union standout Abby Lindkvist, the newest OAC Goalie of the Year, made 13 saves to support the home team.
- Draw controls were nearly even with the Raiders holding a slight 18-16 margin.
- Rigel and Glenn both captured six draws while fifth-year senior Logan Fox picked up four ground balls in her final college game. Goalie Maggie Nance had nine saves in the cage.
- Katie Clark, named OAC Offensive Player of the Year on Wednesday morning, led Mount Union with nine points. The Raiders advance to play top seed Capital in Saturday's championship.
