LEXINGTON, Va.—For the first time in program history, Denison women's lacrosse has advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four.  The Big Red defeated the University on Chicago, 10-7 on Sunday afternoon at Wilson Field on the campus of Washington and Lee University.

The national semifinals and national championship game will be played next weekend, May 22-23 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia.  The Big Red will face the winner of the Salisbury-Ithaca quarterfinal game that is taking place at 6 p.m. on May 16.

Denison completed its historic day by outscoring the Maroons 4-1 in the second half.  Denison's patented fast start was derailed a bit by Chicago as they took a 2-0 lead after the first seven minutes of play.  The Big Red's first goal didn't come until 13 minutes into the game when Emma Repke scored off an assist from Jane Bailey.

That sparked a string of four Denison goals over the next three minutes of play.  Just like that, the old Big Red was back.  After Lindsey Karsh gave Denison a 4-2 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the first half, Chicago's Ali Sheehy scored her 33^rd goal of the campaign.  DU got goals from Jane Bailey and Ryann Yospa late in the first half before the Maroons closed out the opening period with goals from Lally Johnson and Sheehy.

In the second half, the two teams played the first 11 minutes scoreless.  It was Josie Lucchesi's goal off a pass from Casey McTague that gave the Big Red a 7-6 lead that they would never relinquish.  DU's final three goals came from Farnham, and two from Molly Fischer.

Denison held an 11-8 advantage on draws while forcing the Maroons into 23 turnovers to Denison's 17. The Big Red also held Chicago to 18 shots in the game and just seven in the pivotal second half.

Farnham, Fischer and Repke finished with two goals apiece to lead Denison in scoring.  Charlotte Godfrey and Casey McTague paced the defense as Godfrey posted three ground balls, one caused turnover and two draw controls while McTague stuffed the stat sheet with eight draw controls, three ground balls, two caused turnovers and two assists.

Denison's goalies split time in the cage as Caroline O'Dea got the start, recording one save in the first half. Maeve Caldwell entered in the second half and provided a lift, notching four key saves while allowing just one goal. She was credited with the victory.

Sheehy paced Chicago with three goals while Johnson scored once and led the team with three assists.  Their goalkeeper, Emily Feigen, recorded nine saves while playing all 60 minutes.

This was Denison's 10^th appearance in the national quarterfinals and the squad's first Elite Eight game since 1994. Head coach Amanda Daniels' squad will be playing in its first national semifinal contest next weekend.  In seven seasons under Daniels Denison has made a steady progression up the ranks. It started with NCAA tournament victories in the 2018, and 2019 season culminating with a top-10 national ranking and a program-best three NCAA Tournament wins in 2021.

After the win, Daniels reflected on the journey to milestone achievement.

"These past 15 months has been like nothing any of us have ever experienced," said Daniels. "To say that I'm proud of this team is the biggest understatement and I am honestly just incredibly lucky to be a part of such an amazing group of young women. They have made the most of every opportunity we have been given and in a year where nothing felt truly normal, they have found a way to push through and make it one of our most memorable seasons yet."

"For us to have earned a spot in the final four feels amazing, but in truth it was always just a matter of time. Our alums have paved the way and this group of seniors has carried us forward. I can't wait to see what next week brings."

More information on Denison's highly anticipated Final Four matchup will be posted on denisonbigred.com in the coming week.