Box Score

The Capital University women's soccer team suffered its seventh one-goal loss of the season Saturday in a 2-1 setback at Otterbein in the team's final Ohio Athletic Conference regular season contest of the year in Westerville, Ohio.

The Crusaders (10-8-1 overall, 5-3-1 OAC) enters next week's OAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed, the same spot they held last season when the team won the tournament title. Capital hosts sixth-seeded John Carroll this Monday at 2 p.m. at Bernlohr Stadium. The winner of that contest travels to Berea, Ohio, to take on second-seeded Baldwin Wallace on Wednesday.

The Cardinals (13-5, 8-1), who won the conference regular season championship outright and hold the top seed in the tournament, got on the board first in the ninth minute on a pass from the end line to the middle of the box.

Junior Lauren Roy (Toledo, Ohio; at right) tallied the equalizer for the Crusaders in the 51st minute, cleaning up a loose ball in the box just moments after a free kick. It was Roy's third goal of the season, and it came off of freshman Mariah Richards' free kick.

Otterbein retook the lead in the 77th minute on a penalty kick and didn't look back, holding on for the last 14 minutes of the affair. 

"We're not disappointed with the fact that we lost, but we're disappointed that we came from behind to tie it and then lost," Capital coach Chris Kouns said. "We made some mental mistakes after a terrific goal by Lauren."

Junior goalkeeper Maggie Donnellan (Cincinnati, Ohio) made two saves in 110 minutes for Capital, which posted nine shots, the same number as the Cardinals, who held a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks.

"Otterbein won the regular season title because they're consistent and hard working," Kouns said. "They wait for their opponents to make mistakes and then they capitalize, and that's what happened today.

"I told the girls our mistakes need to be fixed because now it matters so much more. It's about the next three games, and that's what it's all about. We'll have an off day tomorrow and hopefully get in the right mental frame to move forward."