BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's soccer team struggled to keep up with the Otterbein University offense in a 7-1 loss in Ohio Athletic Conference action inside George Finnie Stadium.

Most of the first half was played in BW's (6-5-1, 0-3 OAC) defensive third as Otterbein (9-2, 3-0 OAC) controlled the pace of play. However, the Yellow Jacket defense was able to keep the shot count from getting too lopsided until the 34th minute when the Cardinals first found the scoreboard. Once Otterbein broke through the stalemate, the offense exploded for three more goals all in a less than six minute span to take a 4-0 lead into halftime.

BW started the second half with a couple of scoring opportunities, including three-straight looks from senior three-time All-OAC and Academic-All OAC forward Rachel Bender (Massillon/Jackson) in a span of seven minutes. The Cardinals added three more goals to take a 7-0 lead before the Yellow Jackets put an end to the shutout in the 75th minute when sophomore midfielder Bella Szymanski (Cuyahoga Falls/Norton) assisted Bender for the senior's eighth goal of the season and the game's final goal, marking the first time that Otterbein has been scored on in six games.

In her first action this season, freshman goalkeeper Lyndsey Valentine (Springboro) made five saves in 28:32 of play. Junior Academic All-OAC goalkeeper Sophia Weidner (Medina) suffered the loss, however, as she only recorded two saves in the seven shots she faced on goal. Otterbein held the offensive advantage in shots (17-12), shots on goal (14-4) and corner kicks (11-7).

BW will seek its first OAC victory on Wednesday, Oct. 10, when the Yellow Jackets travel to Tiffin to take on Heidelberg University at 4 p.m. at the Hidden Valley Soccer Complex.