A 10-7 record could signal a winning team ready to break through. For head coach John Carter, it marks a season that had much greater potential.
"We were a better team than that," he said. "We just didn't score enough goals."
The Tigers proved their talent and ability late in the season, as they won four of their last five games in hard fought battles.
Sophomore Angela Cotherman believes in the team's ability to improve on last year's record by being more aggressive on offense.
"We need to push our outside defense up forward so we can get more crosses into the box and have more shooting opportunities," she said.
Six of the Tigers' seven loses came with spreads of two goals or less, including five shutouts.
The focus rests on senior forward Alexandra Ehr and junior forward Dana Sprague to turn things around for DePauw. Sprague led the team in scoring with seven goals followed closely by Ehr with six. According to Carter, the key for his offense is to put the ball in the back of the net on a more consistent basis.
The Tigers also benefit from cohesion as only three starters graduated last year.
"There's no position we look at right now and say we don't have someone to fill it," Carter said. "I think the incoming freshmen combined with the upper classmen ... should be a good team."
The Tiger's first game, a scrimmage, is a home against Hanover College on Aug. 27. An away game agaisnt Denison University on Sept. 27 marks the beginning of NCAC play.