WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Capital University women's lacrosse team headed 17 minutes north on I-71 for their annual Battle for the Oar matchup against Otterbein on Saturday afternoon. It was a dominant outing for the Comets as they outscored the Cardinals 24-12 to keep possession of the coveted oar trophy. 

Capital progresses to 3-3 on the season and starts OAC play the right way at 1-0.

Otterbein is now 4-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference. 

CAPITAL NEWCOMER
Brenna Todd made her first appearance for the Purple and White. The freshman midfielder from Pickerington comes to Capital after transferring from University of the Cumberlands. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was close in the early going, as all rivalry games tend to be. Capital drew first blood thanks to a woman-up goal from the eldest member of the team Luci Kanowsky, but that was followed by two quick answers from the Cardinals. Kanowsky would add another around the 10-minute mark, joined by Grace Osborn as the Comets took a 3-2 lead. Otterbein tied it up again just a few minutes later and Capital responded with an offensive explosion, scoring five goals in the final four-and-a-half minutes to jump ahead 8-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Comets were not ready to cool down as they continued their hot streak with four more goals in the first two minutes of the second quarter to take a commanding advantage. The eight-goal run was briefly interrupted by a score from the other side but Capital quickly continued to add another four, bringing their run to its peak at 12-1 and the lead to 16-4. Otterbein would get one back just before the halftime break. 

Things got a tad tighter in the third quarter as Otterbein strung together a 7-1 run in the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. In response, Capital quieted the Cardinals with their own 7-1 run in the final thirteen minutes to put the game well out of reach, 24-12. 

THE NUMBERS
Grace Osborn netted another 10-piece – her second of the season – to go along with three assists for a total of 13 points, and three draw controls. She shot a near-perfect 11-of-12 shots on goal and scored three of her four free position attempts. Her 13 points put her over the 200 mark in her career. 

Luci Kanowsky and Andi Henry scored five goals each. Kanowsky added three assists for a total of eight points and one draw control, shooting 6-for-7 shots on goal and 1-for-2 on free position attempts. Henry had one assist for a total of six points and picked up five draw controls. She shot a perfect 7-of-7 shots on goal and aced her only free position attempt.

Julia Foresi played a key role in the Capital midfield, leading the team in assists (4), draw controls (8), and caused turnovers (3).

Abbey Midnight scored two goals off of a perfect 2-for-2 shots on goal.

Ava Vendetti scored one goal, the first of her career. 

Dylan Smith scored one goal with one draw control and one caused turnover. 

Rylee Jarvis and Haleigh McPhillips had one caused turnover each. 

Meg Garcia went the full 60 minutes in the cage for the Comets, making a career-high 12 saves. She adds another win to her resume at 2-2.

THE OPPONENT
Goals - Riley Smith (6)
Assists - Emily Willms/Lauren Newkirk (1)
Caused Turnovers - Riley Smith/Nina Domanik (1)
Draw Controls - Emily Willms (3)
Saves - Maggie Nance (7)

UP NEXT
Capital will finish out the season with a slew of OAC competition, beginning this coming Wednesday, March 29th away to Muskingum. First draw is slated for 7 p.m. in New Concord.