WESTERVILLE – In a game that stretched late into the night, the Otterbein University men's lacrosse team closed out the regular season with a 14-12 win over Marietta College Wednesday at Memorial Stadium. The victory marked the 150th career win for head coach Colin Hartnett.
Originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start, the game was delayed more than two hours due to weather before getting underway at 9 p.m., finishing just after 11 p.m.
Otterbein got off to a strong start with four first-quarter goals, including two early scores from junior Jack Regruth and senior Zach Mulligan to build momentum. The Cardinals added two more in the second quarter and carried a 6-4 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals created separation in the third quarter with a key scoring stretch. Freshman Nick King, sophomore Gabe Thayer, and junior Zach Merrill each found the back of the net during the run, before senior Jacob Snyder added another to keep Otterbein in control.
Marietta made things interesting late with a quick scoring burst in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to two in the final minutes. Otterbein held its ground defensively down the stretch to secure the win.
King led the offense with seven points on three goals and four assists, while Regruth added three goals. Thayer and Snyder each added two goals in the win.
With the regular season complete, Otterbein will host a quarterfinal game in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday, April 25. Game time is to be determined.
