For Carthage, the game saw the Lady Reds convert on just one-of-10 chances with an extra player in the water, including a zero-for-two performance in the final minute of the game.  Overall, the squad's only score on an extra-man chance came at 4:04 of the third period when Megan Gillis (Fr., Jenison, Mich.) converted on her team's sixth opportunity of the contest.

Inversely to the Lady Reds' hard luck on the power-play, Wheaton made good use of its four chances, as the Thunder rolled to the tying and game-winning goals in the final nine minutes of play. After failing to make hay on its first two chances in the first and second periods and trailing 3-2, Wheaton finally cashed in when Kati Pedersen was sent to the corner at 1:28, and Sheehy whipped a shot into the cage at the 1:08 mark of the third period to knot the game at three-all.

Another chance came 13 seconds into the fourth period as Sammi Craig was ejected.  Following a 20-second timeout by head coach Jon Lederhouse, Wheaton received the eventual game-winning tally as Crockett connected on a man-up shot to put the Thunder in front for the first time at 4-3.

The lead would hold up the rest of the way as Angus stopped five shots and three man-up opportunities over the remainder of the game to preserve the victory for the Thunder.

For both teams, the contest was as a defensive struggle from the opening sprint before Carthage's Mari Paraskevopoulos broke a scoreless deadlock with a shot at the 3:35 mark of the first period to put the Lady Reds ahead 1-0.

Neither team scored again in the first half as the Thunder went zero-for-two on man-up chances and Carthage did not convert on four opportunities thanks to the play of Angus and McGhee.

The third period saw an offensive explosion of five goals as the teams scored and answered each other over the eight minute frame.

Sheehy started the fireworks by skipping in a shot at 6:02, but Craig responded at 5:37 to return the lead to Carthage at 2-1.  Crockett scored at even-strength (5:14) and Gillis (1:08) answered at 1:08 with a man-up goal to make it 3-2 in favor of the Lady Reds and set-up Wheaton's rally to victory.

With the win, Wheaton advances to a 4:30 p.m. showdown later today against No. 10-nationally ranked Washington & Jefferson College with a spot in the tournament championship game on the line.  Carthage will meet Utica College, a 12-5 victim of W&J in the first round, at 3:15 p.m. to decide which team makes the tournament fifth place game at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 21.

Wheaton Goals: Heather Crockett (2); Kathryn Sheehy (2)

Carthage Goals: Sammi Craig; Mari Paraskevopoulos; Megan Gillis

Saves: Wheaton - Karalee Angus (14),  ; Carthage - Ashley McGhee (13)

Exclusions: Wheaton - 10 ; Carthage - 4

Advantage Opportunities: Wheaton - 2-for-4 ; Carthage - 1-for-10

Sprints: Wheaton - 4-for-4 ; Carthage - 0-for-4

Mari Paraskevopoulos (Sr., Mount Prospect, Ill./Arlington Heights-Hersey) buried four feeds as Carthage College outscored Utica College 7-4 in the second half to take a 12-8 victory and advance to the fifth place game of the 2012 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship at Grove City College's Longnecker Competition Pool.

Trailing 4-3 40 seconds into the second period following a catch-and-shoot goal by Utica's Evelyn Kurzac at the 7:20 mark, the Lady Reds went to work in overpowering the Pioneers as Megan Gillis (Fr., Jension, Mich.) netted a natural score at 4:55 and Jackie Knightley (Fr., Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) converted a man-up opportunity at 3:47 to ignite an 8-0 scoring run.

Ahead 5-4 at halftime, Carthage continued to expand the lead in the third period as Amanda Kuchan (So., Orland Park, Ill./Tinley Park-Andrew) cashed in on a man-up chance at 6:24.  Paraskevopoulos followed at 5:41, Kuchan put home her second of the afternoon at 4:39, Kati Pedersen (Sr., Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest) notched a natural goal at 3:33 and Knightley made the Pioneers' comeback hopes go dark with another strike at 2:34 to push the spread out to 11-4. 

Utica atempted to climb back into the contest as Jennifer Persio answered with 31 seconds remaining in the third period and Kurzac connected on a shot at 5:58 to move within 11-7.

However, Sammi Craig (Fr., Chicago Ridge, Ill./Oak Lawn-Richards) reinforced Carthage's lead at 2:53 with her lone score of the contest before Kurzac notched her fifth marker with 19 seconds to go for the 12-8 final.

Between the pipes, Ali Templin stopped 13 shots for Utica.  Charlene Hoffman (Fr., Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Ashley McGhee (Fr., Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech) split time for the victors as the duo combined for seven saves.

The game appeared to be closer than the final score indicates as the two squads battled to a deadheat in the first period with both programs finding the back of the cage three times.

Kurzac started the scoring in the game by drilling a shot at the 7:40 mark after the Pioneers won the opening sprint.  Paraskevopoulos responded for the Lady Reds with a successful five-meter penalty shot (7:20), but Rebecca Morgan tipped in a pass at 4:15 to return the lead to Utica.

Paraskevopoulos again made the counter-point for Carthage as she rattled the iron with a blast at 3:40, but Kurzac torched the Lady Reds for another goal at 2:31 to return the lead to Utica at 3-2. 

The pattern of counter-punching continued as Gillis closed the first period with a strike (00:33) on an extra-man opportunity, while Kurzac opened the new period by completing a hat-trick (7:20) to set the score at 4-3 and set-up Carthage's eight-goal knokout outburst. Besides Paraskevopoulos, the Lady Reds received pairs of scores from Gillis, Knightley and Kuchan.

Carthage Goals: Mari Paraskevopoulos (4); Megan Gillis (2); Jackie Knightley (2); Amanda Kuchan (2); Sammi Craig; Kati Pedersen

Utica Goals: Evelyn Kurzac (5); Rebecca Morgan; Sarah Parker; Jennifer Persio

Saves: Carthage -  Charlene Hoffman (4), Ashley McGhee (3)  ; Utica - Ali Templin (13)

Exclusions: Carthage - 3 ; Utica - 9

Advantage Opportunities: Carthage - 4-for-9 ; Utica - 1-for-3

Cards: None