After battling Otterbein University to a 1-1 tie, the 20th-ranked Denison Big Red fell just short of their first-ever NCAA Tournament semifinal appearance, eventually dropping a 3-1 decision in penalty kicks to the Cardinals on Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa.

On Sept. 15 of this season Denison and Otterbein played to a scoreless draw at Barclay-Thomsen Field in Granville.  The rematch at the Rock Bowl was a slightly different story as both squads were able to find the back of the net in the first 45 minutes of play.

Despite a relatively slow opening 35 minutes, the Big Red managed to break the scoreless tie at the 35:44 mark.  After a Jenn Sloan (Bethesda, Md./Sidwell Friends School) corner kick was cleared out by the Cardinal defense, the senior defender regained possession and served the ball right to fellow senior Kimmi Oshita (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore).  With Otterbein keeper Tara Carter charging off her line, Oshita sent a flick-on header to a wide open Libbie Randolph (Hardyville, Va./Christchurch School) who drove the ball home from point-blank range.  Randolph's third tally of the season gave DU a 1-0 edge.

However, the Big Red's lead was short lived as the Cardinal attack marched down the field and scored just 38 seconds later when Rachel Denz fired a shot into the lower left corner from eight yards out.  The goal was her second of the year and squared the match as the two rivals entered the intermission.

Otterbein nearly took their first lead of the match in the 48th minute when Adrienne Novak found Cristen Herold at the penalty spot.  Fortunately for the Big Red, Herold's shot hit the crossbar and fell right into the arms of Denison keeper Andrea Karl (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty).

Both defenses stood strong in the second half as neither team recorded a goal despite late opportunities by both squads.  The Denison offense generated a late flurry inside the final five minutes, while a late Cardinal run was thwarted by a sliding play from Karl.

The only shot of the first overtime period came off the foot of Otterbein's Alyssa Hale.  Hale's shot in the 96th minute went off the left post and out of bounds.  In the 103rd minute, the Cardinals Tara Smith nearly capitalized on a Herold corner, but Smith's header hit off the crossbar and was eventually cleared out by the Denison defense.

With the score still tied 1-1 after 110 minutes of play, the two central Ohio rivals decided their tournament lives in a shootout.  The Cardinals converted on all three of their attempts, while Carter recorded two saves to secure Otterbein's first-ever appearance NCAA final four appearance in women's soccer.

Otterbein held an 8-5 edge in shots over Denison.  Both teams logged three shots on-goal and attempted two corner kicks.  Both Carter and Karl made two saves in 110 minutes.

The graduating class of Sloan, Oshita, Jen Clemmer (Hixson, Tenn./The Baylor School), Eliza Miller (Canal Winchester, Ohio/Canal Winchester), Haley Gewehr (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) and Maggie Hoskin (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) conclude their four-year careers in Granville with the distinction of four-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including this season's run to the Elite 8.

This year's 16-5-4 mark closes the Class of 2011's overall record at an impressive 61-20-9 for an overall winning percentage of .728.  This senior class won two North Coast Athletic Conference regular season titles (2008, 2009) and one NCAC Tournament crown (2010).