MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – It took 90 minutes and nine rounds of the shootout to separate The College of New Jersey and Vassar College Saturday afternoon before Tori Hannah found the back of the cage to advance the seventh-ranked Lions to the regional final. TCNJ improved to 16-4 with the win, while the loss ends the sixth-ranked Brewers season at 18-2.
 
The Lions broke through late in the first half. Kayla Peterson took a blast off a penalty corner that Cayla Andrews deflected into the cage for a lead that TCNJ would take into the half. With the goal, Andrews now has nine points in six career tournament games and moved into a tie for 15^th place on the program career goals list.
 
Vassar played strong early in the second half earning seven penalty corners in the first fifteen minutes and finally broke through with just over 17 minutes to play. Rylie Pope hit Megan Caveny to even the score. Both teams had several chances in the final minutes of regulation, but a shot by Caveny went wide and a shot off a corner by Hannah was saved by Liz Rotolo.
 
After a relatively uneventful opening ten minutes to overtime, both teams had great opportunities in the second overtime period. Caveny got behind the Lion defense on a breakaway, but Maddie Beaumont stepped up to keep the game alive. Peterson would get the best Lions chance, sending a shot just wide in the game's final minute.
 
In the shootout, TCNJ scored first as Tori Tiefenthaler converted a penalty stroke. After the Brewers tied the shootout on a stroke of their own, Tiefenthaler gave the Lions the lead back converting on her attempt. Monica Feeley tied the shootout in the fourth frame. Feeley and Tiefenthaler would match each other in the sixth round with conversions. In the eighth round Caveny and Samantha Reed each converted to set up the final frame. Beaumont made the stop and Hannah came through to put the Lions in the round of eight.
 
Beaumont made a career-high 18 saves with Peterson and Sidney Padilla each recording defensive saves in the victory.
 
TCNJ will now face Middlebury College in the regional final tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.