Allegheny Upends Perennial National Power Otterbein, 1-0
ERIE, Pa. – Alison Buzzard drilled a shot off the Otterbein defense on a clearing attempt in the 53rd minute to break a scoreless tie, and Allegheny bounced back from Saturday's season-opening loss in a big way with an outstanding non-conference victory against the Cardinals on the second day of the Herb Laufler Classic hosted by Penn State-Behrend.
Otterbein (1-1-0) generated a corner opportunity less than 30 seconds into Sunday's match, although it turned out to be the Cardinals' best scoring chance until late in the first half. The perennial national contenders, which are two years removed from a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four, were over-matched against an Allegheny squad eager to wipe away the disappointment from Saturday's loss against Baldwin-Wallace, another Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) heavy.
The Gators had three cracks at the net in the first 10 minutes of action, although each chance sailed wide or high. Allegheny maintained command of the action throughout much of the half, orchestrating two corner kicks in quick succession, but all five of Allegheny's shots ultimately failed to hit the target.
Lindsay Henderson did connect on a shot with 18 minutes left in the opening frame for Otterbein – it's only shot of the half – but junior Kylie Mason snuffed out the bid.
Eight minutes after the re-start, Allegheny snapped the deadlock on Buzzard's unassisted finish. The score marked Buzzard's sixth career goal and resulted in her second career game winner.
The Gators were even more dominant in the second frame. Although the team was unable to add to its total, it put all five of its attempts on goal, forcing the Cardinals' Melissa Zang to work hard in a bid to keep Otterbein in contention.
Allegheny finished the game with a 10-2 shot advantage, while Mason made one save en route to her first career clean sheet. The victory was Allegheny's second in five tries against Otterbein and its first since 2001.
The Gators, who were heavily tested during the opening weekend, continue its daunting non-conference slate against former NAIA power and first-year Division III opponent, Houghton College, on Tuesday at home. Kick-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
