WESTERVILLE – The Otterbein University women's soccer team closed out the regular season with a 1-1 draw against Heidelberg on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, celebrating Senior Day prior to kickoff by honoring nine Cardinals—Dema Wali, Kylie Hast, Casey Rigel, Caitlin Drew, Ella Schwertfager, Camryn Earl, Cami McCulty, Alyssa Lemos, and Rae Ehrbar.
Heidelberg struck first at the 18:44 mark when Brianna Braatz sent a high shot into the back of the net to give the Student Princes the early advantage.
Otterbein responded late in the second half, as senior Rae Ehrbar delivered the equalizer at 81:06 off an assist from Alyssa Lemos. The play developed when sophomore Alexis Pickerel kept the ball alive near midfield, giving Lemos a touch around the 25-yard line before threading a pass to Ehrbar on the edge of the box. Ehrbar took a quick touch and slotted the ball just left of the keeper to tie the match.
The Cardinals outshot Heidelberg 23-6, including 8-3 on goal, and held a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. Schwertfager finished with two saves in goal for Otterbein, while Heidelberg's keeper tallied seven.
With the result, Otterbein finishes the regular season tied with Wilmington and Capital as OAC regular season champions, earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming OAC Tournament. The Cardinals will host a semifinal matchup Thursday at Memorial Stadium, with opponent and game time still to be determined. The Otterbein men's team will also host their semifinal on the same day.
