In the first half of the season, the women's soccer team walked off the field with dejected looks and hanging heads.
Saturday afternoon, the Tigers leaped in the air when the final whistle blew - they won the NCAC Championship title.
Senior Dana Sprague's 54th-minute goal was enough offense for the win, and sophomore Emma Cooper tallied four saves in goal for the shutout. With the win, DePauw locked up an automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Championship for the seventh time in program history.
"You have to be proud of them," head coach John Carter said. "All the adversity we battled and from an injury standpoint. We weren't getting results even though we were playing well. At the end of the day, you stay within yourself and fight with each other. At the end of the day, we found a way to be the best."
The Tigers battled through a tough first half where the Big Red played noticeably better than DePauw. However, Denison wasn't able to find a good shot against the Tigers' defense.
"(The first half) was one of our worst halves of the seasons," Carter said. "Part of it is we were still feeling the effect of traveling. We're still feeling those effects, and we never really had any down time."
After a scoreless half, Carter brought his team together and asked them a simple question:
"I asked them 'what do you fear from Denison?' They answered 'nothing,'" he said. "And that was my point, they let them dictate the game."
Coming out of the break, Sprague said the team had a notably different tempo and precision.
After just nine minutes, junior Angela Cotherman sent a pass through the defense from the middle of the field. It ended up at the feet of Sprague on the left side, and she curled into the box with one defender tracking back.
Sprague cut back to her right, and then the Denison goalkeeper charged out to attempt to end to threat. The senior forward launched a shoulder-high shot past the keeper for her seventh goal of the season, and the first goal of the game.
"It was the best feeling ever, and I just turned around to hug everyone," Sprague said. "We weren't playing our best game, and after the score, we really stepped up. The other team maybe freaked out a bit, and we ran to every loose ball."
After the goal, DePauw's defense in front of Cooper stepped up to end threats coming from the sidelines and preserved the one-goal lead.
"(Denison) was pressing a lot, and they came out strong," Cooper said. "They kept fighting for it till the very end, and did a good job of switching the field and sending it in. The defense did a great job. They were talking to each other and helping them out."
When the final whistle blew, DePauw's players on the sideline swarmed the field in celebration - an unknown scene early and throughout the regular season. To win the NCAC title, the team overcame a seven-game losing streak to start the season, and a 1-0 loss to Denison at Boswell Field.
"We just tried to support each other the best we could," Cooper said. "I was just telling them it's just one game, its conference, there are more conference games, and we're not out of it yet."
DePauw has won six of its past eight games, and now looks to continue its season in the NCAA Championship against Emory University (11-1-6) at Center College in Danville, Ky., at a time to be determined.
But after the game Saturday, Sprague was savoring the moment.
"Right now, we have to rest and recuperate," Sprague said. "We'll take tomorrow off and Monday off or have a light practice. This in No. 1 is my moment in my soccer career, by far."