Ohio Wesleyan 14, Wooster 13

May 3, 2008

Senior midfielder Alexa Deaton (Eden, Md./Mercersburg Academy) scored the game-winning goal with :23 left in sudden-death overtime to give Ohio Wesleyan a win over Wooster in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament championship game on Saturday at Roy Rike Field.

With the win, Ohio Wesleyan takes both the NCAC championship and the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III playoffs. This is the Bishops' second conference title in the last 4 seasons.

Deaton fielded a pass from junior attacker Hannah Mudge (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School) and slipped a shot past Wooster goalkeeper Jamie Dannenberg to end the contest.

Wooster had broken a 6-6 tie with 4 straight goals in a span of less than 4 minutes. The Fighting Scots got a score from Hillary Darragh to take the lead, added a free position goal by Carly Carey, then got goals by Nina Dine and Taryn Higgins just 17 seconds apart to take a 10-6 lead with 18:13 left in regulation time.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with 4 straight goals of its own, pulling within 10-7 when Deaton found Mudge for a score, then getting a goal from sophomore midfielder Haleigh Rohr (Nelson, N.H./Northfield Mt. Hermon (Mass.)), a goal from senior attacker Julia Fouts (Cleveland Heights/Hathaway Brown) and a free-position score by senior midfielder Kadi Kuhlenberg (Cincinnati/Anderson) to tie the game at 10-10 with 12:39 to play.

The Fighting Scots took the lead when a foul was called on senior goalkeeper Maggie Eichenlaub (Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper), giving Dine a free-position shot at an empty net, and Dine hit the shot for an 11-10 Wooster lead with 10:40 to play.

Kuhlenberg scored with 5:23 to go to pull the Bishops even, but Wooster took a 12-11 lead when Cassie Brown passed the ball from behind the crease to Becca Worthington, who scored from right in front with 2:57 to play.

Ohio Wesleyan won the ensuing draw, and after a Wooster foul, senior attacker Polly Burke (Milton, Mass.) was off on a breakaway after the restart. Bearing down one-on-one against Dannenberg, Burke was fouled from behind and converted the ensuing free-position shot to tie the game at 12-12 with 2:33 to go.

The Bishops took a 13-12 lead when Rohr converted a free position shot with :45 to play. Dannenberg appeared to get her stick on the shot but was unable to stop it from going over the line.

Wooster won the ensuing draw and tied the game once more, with Carey scoring an unassisted goal with :24 to play to tie the game at 13-13.

The Fighting Scots had a chance to win the game in regulation time, winning the next draw, but Eichenlaub made a save on Darragh's shot with :06 to play, and the Bishops ran out the clock.

Both teams played conservatively through most of the first overtime period, with the only shot of the period coming on Kuhlenberg's free-position attempt, which went wide.

The complexion of the game changed late in the first overtime period when Darragh was assessed a yellow card, Wooster's fourth of the game. The Fighting Scots played the rest of the first overtime and most of the second overtime down a player, but Dannenberg made a pair of saves on Ohio Wesleyan free-position shots by Mudge and Deaton, and the rest of the Wooster defense clamped down to preserve the deadlock.

Meanwhile, Eichenlaub kept the Bishops in the game with a save of a shot by Carey, setting up the third overtime.

Kuhlenberg led the Bishops with 5 goals, while Mudge finished with 2 goals and 2 assists and Rohr scored twice. Eichenlaub finished with 17 saves.

Carey led Wooster with 4 goals, while Dine had 2 goals and 2 assists and Dine and Darragh each scored 2 goals. Dannenberg had 10 saves in the Fighting Scot goal.

All-Tournament Team
(selected by coaches)

Ashley Hughes, Allegheny
Laura Hoch, Allegheny

Bethany Keller, Denison
Katie Kubasta, Denison

Jaime Dannenberg, Wooster
Hillary Darragh, Wooster
Taryn Higgins, Wooster
Becca Worthington, Wooster

Jessica Copeland, Ohio Wesleyan
Alexa Deaton, Ohio Wesleyan
Maggie Eichenlaub, Ohio Wesleyan
Kadi Kuhlenberg, Ohio Wesleyan

Box Score