It used to be just a goal to compete with the best Div. III field hockey teams from across the country and reach the NCAA playoffs.
Now they hope to win it all.
The picture above may possibly have been after DePauw (21-1) downed the No. 1 overall team in the NCAA playoffs - Middlebury College - on Sunday at Middlebury's home field. Sophomore forward Paige Henry scored in overtime to send the Tigers to their first ever semi-final appearance in school history.
"We've said all along that if we had a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, we talked about winning it," head coach Gina Wills said. "We're not satisfied yet. We still have a couple wins left in us."
On Saturday in the second round, the Tigers faced Utica College (15-6) and demonstrated what made the team great all year - a robust defensive line and excellent possession in the midfield.
Wills said she prepared her team to handle the quick transitions of Utica, and as a result DePauw didn't allow a shot in the first half. On offense, the Tigers tallied five shots in opening half, but they couldn't find a way around the opposing goalkeeper. Wills didn't make any major adjustments during the break, and the game plan paid off.
Sophomore forward Maggie Campbell received the ball out to the left of the cage after a shot on goal was blocked. Campbell looked up to spot the Utica defense crowded in front of the goal so she redirected the ball to fellow sophomore Grace Fisher on the right wing.
"I heard [Fisher] calling for it across the circle," Campbell said. "I sent the pass at an angle, and she lifted it right past the goalie. Right when she took the shot I knew it was going in."
The goal came just four minutes into the second half and seemed to inspire the Utica offense. In just two minutes, the Pioneers scored two goals, and Wills called for a timeout down 2-1.
"They offensively attacked really fast, and we kind of got on our heels defensively," Wills said. "The team never got flustered and stayed composed."
About seven minutes later, the score was evened, 2-2, on a lifted shot by Campbell to Henry in front of the goal off of a well-designed penalty corner.
The game proceeded into overtime, and itwas on another penalty corner that sealed DePauw's first-ever win in the NCAA playoffs.
Junior Chelsea Cutler sent a pass to the top of the circle to senior Margaret Ellis. Ellis lifted a shot to the left post, and Cutler fired the game-winning shot.
While the celebration was well-deserved, Middlebury (18-1) loomed on the horizon. The Pioneers touted an undefeated record coming in and the No. 1 scorer in Div. III, Lauren Greer.
"Knowing they were first in the country, we went in with an attitude of anything can happen," Henry said. "We were maybe more defensively focused and hoping they weren't going to score on us."
The defensive mindset of the team attributed to zero Tigers' shots and zero penalty corners awarded in the entire first half - something DePauw never experienced in any game this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Maggie Steele kept the scoring sheet clean until Greer unleashed a shot off of a corner from the top of the scoring circle that reached the cage in the 24th minute.
Down 1-0 at halftime, Wills made an adjustment on restarts; telling her team to take them quicker and not allow the Middlebury defense to track back.
"We were transitioning to offense, but we weren't effective in transition," Wills said. "We were taking a lot of time and allowing Middlebury to run back."
DePauw finally created chances, and in the 57th minute Fisher sent a long pass into the scoring circle toward Campbell. A Pioneers defender got a stick on the ball, but it rolled to Campbell who poked it past the goalkeeper to even the score, 1-1.
In overtime, DePauw was quick to control possession and earn three penalty corners. All three corners produced chances, but it took an individual effort to seal the win.
On a restart, Ellis passed to Henry near the left sideline. After battling with a midfielder, Henry began dribbling down the line with her defender close by.
"I recognized the whole game they were really good at cutting our passes off and creating a wall," Henry said. "What was working with me was working on the sideline and cutting it in. . . . I was playing against the same girl the whole time, and I knew I could beat her."
Near the circle, she cut back to the middle to earn some space between herself and the defender. Another Middlebury player stepped up to defend, but it was too late.
Henry pulled the ball to the right again and riffled the ball past the goalkeeper who was caught off-guard.
"After that I didn't really remember what happened," Henry said.
Added Campbell, "It was really cool to watch, and after the game we were fighting back tears of joy. We started laughing because we just couldn't believe what just happened."
In the game, Steele totaled 13 saves in front of the cage while Middlebury out shot DePauw, 22-6.
The Tigers next travel to Geneva, N.Y., to face Tufts University (17-2) in the NCAA semifinal.