ST. PAUL, Minn. — Second-seeded Connecticut College rallied back for a 10-9 overtime victory over seventh-seeded Wittenberg College on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the 2023 CWPA Division III Championship at Riley Pool.

In a game that featured wild swings of momentum, the Camels overcame a four-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to stave off the upset. Conn then went up by three in the first OT period before holding off the Tigers in the second, advancing to a semifinals date with third-seeded Austin College on Saturday.

Emma Luna (Wahiawa, Hawaii) scored three goals in regulation to lead the Camels on offense. Gigi Sandull (Kenilworth, N.J.) and Maria Sell (San Mateo, Calif.) each netted a pair of scores, and both contributed tallies in the crucial first OT.

Fresh off a 15-2 win against Utica University earlier in the day, Wittenberg controlled play in the first half. The Tigers blanked the Camels in the opening quarter and led 3-1 at intermission. Luna supplied Conn's lone goal on a power play with 5:09 left in the half, but otherwise the Camels were stymied by Wittenberg goalie Jordan Brough.

The trend continued in the third quarter as Conn produced plenty of offense, but saw multiple shots clang off the crossbar and posts. Ainsley Cornwall (San Mateo, Calif.) scored with 3:59 left in the period to close the gap to 5-2, but back-to-back goals by the Tigers extended the lead to 7-2 by the 2:50 mark.

Luna's second goal came in the final minute of the third, but Conn still trailed 7-3 heading into the fourth. The Camels needed to play a near-perfect fourth period to claw back into the game, and they did exactly that. 

Sell opened the quarter with a skip shot on the power play that found the back of the cage. Less than a minute later, Cornwall got a steal on the defensive end that led to a counter attack up the left side. The ball ended up in the hands of Brooke Brandenburger (Sacramento, Calif.) in front of the goal, and after a hesitation move to freeze the goalie, she scored to cut the deficit to 7-5.

Later in the quarter, a steal by Sell led to a 5-on-4 break for the Camels. Luna completed the hat trick with a low shot from the right side that slipped inside the near post with 4:14 to go.

Conn came up empty on its next three possessions as Wittenberg forced turnovers on the defensive end. With time ticking down, the Camels got a golden opportunity when Sandull drew an exclusion foul with 1:02 remaining. Head coach Matt Anderson called time out to draw up a play, and the result was a goal on a nifty back-handed shot by Sandull off a feed from Sell.

The Camels nearly won the game in regulation, but the potential game winner by Brandenburger hit off the top-right corner of the frame. The Tigers then took the final shot of the period, but Sarah Franco (Weston, Conn.) tipped it wide to keep the score knotted at 7-7. Franco notched two of her 14 saves in the fourth to keep Conn in the game.

The first overtime belonged solely to the Camels, as Sandull opened the scoring by tracking down a lob near the goal and finishing into the far corner. The tally gave Conn its first lead of the game, but there was still more offense to come. 

Franco later started a fast break up the left side of the pool, which Anna Taylor (Pleasanton, Calif.) finished with a lob over the goalie to pad the lead to two. Sell then added her second power play goal of the contest with 53 seconds left in the first OT.

By the start of the second OT, Conn had scored eight unanswered goals dating back to the third quarter. However, the Tigers still had one last push in them. Wittenberg scored on its opening possession of the second OT, and with 1:40 to go it closed the gap to 10-9. 

A great save by Brough gave the Tigers a chance for the tie, but Franco matched her counterpart with a terrific two-handed save on a lob attempt to protect the lead. In the final minute, Wittenberg got one last chance to even the score, but Franco made the stop and ran out the final seconds.

The Camels now turn their attention to seventh-ranked Austin, which advanced to the semifinals with a 21-4 victory over Grove City College earlier in the day. The Kangaroos (8-9 overall) are the two-time defending CWPA champions.