Greencastle, Ind.- In a nail-biting 2-1 victory over the Allegheny College Gators, the DePauw field hockey team advance to its first North Coast Athletic Conference Championship game since 2016.
 
In the first period of play, nerves seemed to dictate play between both teams, with Allegheny and DePauw each finishing the first period with one shot on goal.
 
By the second period, the Tigers started to find their rhythm, outshooting the Gators 5-0 and tallying four penalty corners while giving no corners up in its defensive end.
 
After a scoreless first half, DePauw's persistent defending and aggressive ball movement in the opening minutes of the third period paid off. In the 35th minute of play, following a corner penalty, Allison Quackenbush gathered a partially cleared ball, sent it back in front of the cage, and found Lilly Harris for a 1-0 lead.
 
The Tigers' held tight to their lead for almost the entirety of the third period; however, two late green cards on DePauw led to a tilt in momentum for the Gators. Earning a penalty corner with a two-player advantage, Allegheny crashed the striking circle, and the Gators' leading scorer Debbie Nalesnick deflected a pass from Becca Winton in the scramble to knot the game at one apiece.
 
With the game tied at one heading into the fourth, the Tigers, from the jump, pressured Allegheny to make hard passes up the sideline and ultimately turn the ball over. In the 48th minute, Hailey Nowak muscled her way through Allegheny defenders, dribbled the ball past the goalie, and punched in the game-winning DePauw goal.
 
The Tigers finished the afternoon outshooting the Gators 12-4 and edging them in penalty corners 10-4.
Bella Lauber improved to 10-2 for the season, while Allegheny's Hallie Reiger dropped to 13-6.
Reiger did, however, finish the afternoon with six saves in the cage.
 
DePauw returns to Reavis Stadium on Saturday, November 5, and hosts the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops at 2 p.m. for the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. Gates will open an hour before the start of the game; this event will accept cash only for ticketing.