Oneonta, N.Y. - DePauw battled back to tie its NCAA semifinal game with Chicago game at 1-1 with less than eight minutes left, but the Maroons scored the game-winner with 4:27 remaining in the second overtime to claim the 2-1 victory and advance to the national championship game. Chicago faces host Oneonta State on Sunday after the Red Dragons defeated The College of New Jersey 2-1 in the first semifinal game.
DePauw finished the season at 15-5-1 with two losses coming to Chicago, while the Maroons improved to 17-1-4.
Not only did the two teams battle each other, but they battled Mother Nature as temperatures hovered around 30 degrees, winds gusted to 40 miles per hour and an occasional snow squall rolled across Red Dragon Field.
"Overall we played well under the conditions and the pressure of the game and Chicago played a wonderful game also," DePauw head coach John Carter said.
Each team recorded five shots in a scoreless first half, but Chicago reached the board first as Monica Michelotti scored at 60:53 on an assist from Renee Neuner.
The Tigers kept battling and knotted the score at 1-1 as Kate Nickols assisted Corinne Scott at 82:11. The goal came a little over three minutes after the Tigers brought in an additional attacker.
The game went to an overtime for the second straight Saturday for both teams. In last week's quarterfinals, DePauw and Vriginia Wesleyan battled to a scoreless tie in a game eventually decided by penalty kicks, while Chicago defeated Puget Sound in two extra periods.
The teams fought through a scoreless first overtime before Neuner delvered the game-winner as she got past the DePauw defenders and scored at 105:33.
"A lot goes through your head before you shoot," said Neuner. "The goalie was charging out at me so I just kicked it as hard as I could to get it by her."
Chicago outshot DePauw 19-9 and held an 8-3 advantage in corners. Ali Glibkowski recorded eight saves in goal for the Tigers, while Andrea Przybysz had four for the Maroons.
"I am proud of this team because we made it to the final four after being 3-3," Carter said. "We were ready and I thought that it was a well played game by both teams."
The Tigers faced the Maroons on September 20 and lost by a 3-0 decision at home and came back to post a 12-1-1 record prior to the semifinals.
DePauw's five seniors finished their careers with the best four-year record in school history at 58-17-2. The finish marked DePauw's fourth women's team to place in the top four at an NCAA Championship in the last three years. The 2002 women's basketball team and the 2003 women's golf squad placed third, while the 2002 women's golf team was fourth.
