Maddie Hart

The College of Wooster field hockey team's 2011 season came to a close on Wednesday afternoon, as North Coast Athletic Conference co-champion DePauw University knocked off the Fighting Scots 4-1 in an NCAC Tournament semifinal played at Greencastle, Ind.

Wooster (9-10) had won the conference's postseason tournament the previous three years, but faced a challenging task Wednesday against DePauw (16-2), which was ranked No. 20 in NCAA Div. III a week ago before losing to Denison University in the regular season finale and slipping to the No. 2 seed. The Scots stayed close for most of the first half, but a pair of goals less than five minutes apart by the Tigers about midway through it allowed the hosts some breathing room at halftime.

DePauw struck twice more within the opening 11 minutes of the second before Maddie Hart prevented the shutout on an unassisted score with 4:10 remaining. For Hart, a senior, it marked the 14th goal of her career.

While it was an uncharacteristic season for Wooster (first losing record since 1998), the Scots should bounce back in 2012 with just one starter graduating in back Lauren Grimanis.