Cara Gabage fought through a mad scramble in front of the net and headed home a loose ball with three seconds remaining in regulation to give College of New Jersey a dramatic 2-1 victory over host Tufts in the Division III Women's Soccer Championship game November 19.

It was the third game-winning goal of the championship for Gabage, including triple-overtime winners against Messiah in the regional final and Ohio Wesleyan in the quarterfinals. It also was College of New Jersey's third national championship and capped a 23-1 season that set a school record for victories.

The Lions and head coach Joe Russo also won the 1993 and 1994 soccer titles.

"You couldn't ask for a better final," Russo said. "Of all the finals I've been to, this was the most well-played. Our team is so resilient. They've been to three straight final fours, so there's a fabric woven among them and I think that made the difference."

With the 10-second countdown underway over the public address system, College of New Jersey junior Denise Buckley collected the ball at the left flank and was able to streak past the Tufts defense. Lions junior Lisa Pelligrino put her cross on goal. Tufts senior goalkeeper Randee McArdle made a good stop but could not smother the ball, which enabled Gabage to head it in for the last-second winner.

The Lions jumped to an early 1-0 lead when sophomore Gia Rosamilia dropped a long ball at Buckley's feet. McArdle challenged the play, but Buckley lofted a shot over her that bounced into the net for a 1-0 lead nine minutes in. The visitors continued to control play throughout the first half, posting an 11-3 advantage in shots and 5-0 margin in corners during the first 45 minutes.

The momentum completely switched in the second half and the Jumbos, 18-4-1, controlled play for most of the period. Just past the one-hour mark, Tufts initiated a series of excellent scoring chances. That effort was rewarded when sophomore Adie Sherwood found open space in the box and redirected a pass from freshman Jess Trombly that bounced past Lions senior goalkeeper Victoria Nusse to tie the game with 13 minutes remaining.

"We thought that if we could score, it might rattle them because they're not used to being scored on," Tufts coach Martha Whiting said. "But they are a great team and they persevered. We let them in at the wrong time, and great teams take advantage of those opportunities."

The Tufts goal, in fact, was just the third allowed by College of New Jersey this season and the first since October 1 -- a string of 12 straight shutouts.

Both finalists needed overtime to produce 1-0 victories in the semifinals. Tufts advanced past Wisconsin-Stevens Point when Lynn Cooper booted home a loose ball in front of the goal mouth more than 11 minutes into extra time. Then College of New Jersey won after just 21 overtime seconds when Karen Geiger took a pass from Buckley and lofted it into the far corner of the net to beat Trinity (Texas).

Buckley was selected as the most outstanding offensive player after scoring the first goal versus Tufts and setting up the game-winner versus Trinity in the semifinals. Trinity goalkeeper Jill DiGiampaolo was the most outstanding defensive player after making 24 saves -- second-most in Division III tournament history -- during her team's semifinal loss.

Gabage, Geiger and Beth Hoeflinger joined Buckley on the all-tournament team from the champions, while Sherwood, Carmen Mikacenic and Lynn Cooper were the Tufts selections. Wisconsin-Stevens Point added Margaret Domka, Mickey Jacob and Molly Cady, and Trinity's Erica Adelstein and Melissa Dickey joined DiGiampaolo on the squad.

Semifinals

Overtime: T -- Lynn Cooper (unassisted), 101:25.

Shots: Tufts 17, Wis.-Stevens Point 13. Goalkeeper saves: Tufts (Randee McArdle) 4; Wis.-Stevens Point (Abby Rabinovitz) 6. Corner kicks: Tufts 10, Wis.-Stevens Point 4. Fouls: Tufts 13, Wis.-Stevens Point 10.

Overtime: CNJ -- Karen Geiger (Denise Buckley), 90:21.

Shots: Col. of New Jersey 35, Trinity (Tex.) 6. Goalkeeper saves: Col. of New Jersey (Victoria Nusse) 4, Trinity (Tex.) (Jill DiGiampaolo) 24. Corner kicks: Col. of New Jersey 10, Trinity (Tex.) 4. Fouls: Col. of New Jersey 3, Trinity (Tex.) 6.

Championship

First half: CNJ -- Denise Buckley (Gia Rosamilia), 8:59.

Second half: T -- Adie Sherwood (Jess Trombly), 76:22; CNJ -- Cara Gabage (Buckley, Lisa Pelligrino), 89:57.

Shots: Col. of New Jersey 21, Tufts 10. Goalkeeper saves: Col. of New Jersey (Victoria Nusse) 3, Tufts (Randee McArdle) 6. Corner kicks: Col. of New Jersey 5, Tufts 1. Fouls: Col. of New Jersey 11, Tufts 5.