WHEATON, Ill. -- Erin Brophy set up fellow freshman Allie Wittenbach for the decisive goal in the Flying Dutch's 1-0 upset of fourth-ranked Wheaton (Ill.) in double overtime Friday in the NCAA Division III Championships.
The Flying Dutch (17-3-2 overall) advanced to play a second-round match against Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. ET at Wheaton.
"I'm not even sure I saw the pass. I saw the finish," Hope coach Leigh Sears said after her team handed Wheaton (18-2-2) its earliest exit in the national tournament since 1998.
Game-time temperatures were in the low 30 degrees.
Brophy, a midfielder from West Lafeyette, Indiana, crossed the ball from left to right to an unmarked Wittenbach, who easily netted her eighth goal of the season.
Brophy's second assist of the season came with 5 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second 10-minute overtime period.
"The [Wheaton defender] was giving me the inside, so I decided I'd rather work for a better cross," Brophy said. "Allie was perfectly placed. It was awesome."
Wittenbach, a forward from Grand Rapids, Michigan, echoed similar platitudes toward Brophy.
"It was a perfect ball, absolutely perfect, couldn't have been placed any better," Wittenbach said. "I saw it coming across the face of the goal. The defense happened to be out of place."
The shutout was the 11th of the season for senior goalie Kat Dickson of Grayslake, Illinois. She made 14 saves.
The 17 wins move Hope one from matching the school record for wins in a single season from 2005.
The Flying Dutch avenged a 4-1 loss at Wheaton on Aug. 29.
"We've gotten so much better from the beginning," Sears said. "We were still trying to figure each other out. We didn't play that well. I said last night I feel like this is the first time in two weeks where the pressure is gone. We don't have to win. They played like they just wanted to win."
Illinois Wesleyan (15-6-1 overall) defeated Dubuque 4-2 in Friday's second first-round match at Wheaton.
