Box Score After lightning and hail delayed the start of the 2012 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for over an hour, the DePauw Tigers broke a scoreless tie in the 50th minute of play. That would lead to a 2-0 victory for home team, in what was a rematch of the 2011 NCAC title game.
Last season it was the Big Red who sent the Tigers packing with a 2-0 win at Piper Stadium. This season it was the host Tigers who returned the favor from a season ago. DePauw's first goal came 15 minutes into the second half when Margaret Ellis lifted a ball to the waiting stick of Paige Henry who was there for the deflection and the goal.
Ten minutes later, roles would be reversed as Henry passed to Ellis for the second and final goal of the match.
Denison mustered five shots in the match, with three coming in the second half. All three shots came early in the period and all were blocked before they could reach Tiger goalkeeper Maggie Steele who finished with one save in the first half.
The Tigers posted 20 shots, with 13 going on-goal. Senior goalkeeper Brittany Benson posted 10 saves. In 79 career matches, Benson leaves DU with a school record 446 saves.
DePauw held a 10-5 advantage in penalty corners. The Tigers will advance to the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship tournament with a 19-1 record. Denison's season comes to an end with a 15-6 record, marking the sixth time in school history that a DU field hockey team has posted at least 15 wins in a season. This is DePauw's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999. They have won 18 straight matches and have not lost since Sept. 2.
