The Otterbein men’s lacrosse team was victorious in its home opener with a final score of 14-5 over Oberlin on Wednesday. The Cardinals jumped to a 6-2 advantage after the first quarter on their way to the non-conference victory. Nine Cardinals converted goals throughout the contest.
Otterbein improves to 4-2, while visiting Oberlin drops to 2-2. Jake Grundey has now tallied 16 goals on the year.
The first few minutes were back-and-forth before Otterbein jumped to a 2-0 lead with goals by Judson Huston and Grundey. Oberlin responded with a pair of goals by Tom Decker to even the contest at the 9:50 mark.
Joe Sanfillipo's first of two goals on the night, allowed the Cards to acquire a 3-2 advantage with 7:33 left in the first frame. Otterbein wouldn’t surrender the lead for the remainder of the game.
The home team would go on to carry an 8-4 lead in intermission when Robby Fields, assisted by Sanfillipo, converted his eighth goal of the season in the closing minutes of the half.
Otterbein continued to provide strong defense in the second half, allowing just one Oberlin goal for the remainder of the game with 7:24 remaining in the third period. A little over a minute later, Xander Seal began the Cardinals’ 5-0 lead for the remaining portion of the game, scoring a goal and expanding the lead 10-5.
Goalie Zachary Groene had double-digit saves on the night, and Bryce Perram stepped in with four saves of his own. The Cards’ held Oberlin 0-6 on extra-man opportunities.
Otterbein will take on Kenyon College Wednesday evening.
