All four, contested at the KSU Soccer Complex, have taken on vastly different meanings for Dingle. In 2006, as the regular-season champions, the Owls dropped a heart-breaking overtime game to Jacksonville. A year later, she scored in both the Owls' semifinal and title game victories to earn MVP honors as the the Owls made their first NCAA appearance. Last season, while dealing with a season-ending injury she watched from the sidelines as her teammates fell short in their bid to repeat.
“Four year the ups and down have been crazy," Dingle said. "My last thought before I took the field was the last time we were on this field against Jacksonville in the A-Sun Tournament we ended the game on the field crying. We have been through it all. We have won some great games and suffered some heartbreaking losses.”
In Thursday's semifinal contest with Jacksonville, Dingle spent much of the final 51 minutes in the corners as she fired off 10 corner kicks - many of which nearly resulted in Kennesaw State goals. Six minutes into overtime the senior played the role of finisher, connecting on a header off a feed from Thais Gibson and sending the Owls back to the title game.
“Four year the ups and down have been crazy," Dingle said. "My last thought before I took the field was the last time we were on this field against Jacksonville in the A-Sun Tournament we ended the game on the field crying. We have been through it all. We have won some great games and suffered some heartbreaking losses.”
The dramatic goal only added to Dingle's comeback story. She increased her point total to 22, good for third in the conference and boosted her points-per-game average of 1.47, which places her second. After not starting in any of the Owls' first seven games, Dingle reclaimed her rightful starting spot and finished the year back on the All-Atlantic Sun's First Team.
“It is different when you are a senior and if you lose it is your last game" she said. "It makes it mean so much more and it makes you want it that much more. When you take field for overtime you know if you don’t score you're going home and your not coming back. It puts a pain in your chest to think about it. Tournament play is hard and its tough and it is emotional.”
Following a team-wide recognition to the more than 600 fans in attendance, Dingle felt the adoration of the crowd for herself as she walked towards the ASun.TV broadcast for a postgame interview.
“I was shaking from the adrenaline” “We have fantastic fans and even on a frigid, cold night like this, we’re going to have a lot people, a lot of friends, a lot of family and even just fans from the community and that makes the difference…when you’re dead tired in overtime.”
Her returned status among the A-Sun's elite would come as no surprise based on her 2007 season. Dingle led the league in goals, points and shots as the Owls rolled to a 17-4 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The 17 wins ranks among the top-five single-season totals in league history. The conference's coaches voted Dingle as the Preseason Player of the Year for 2008 but her season got limited to just three games.
“As a soccer player, it those moments when you get that goal in overtime – that’s why you play," Dingle said. "That’s why you put in the hours and hours and that’s why you go through surgeries and rehab your butt off and sit out for a year and you put your body on the line for moments like this.”
A victory on Saturday afternoon against Belmont and a return trip to the NCAAs could provide Dingle and her teammates another such moment to treasure.
For the full Caitlin Dingle interview, listen here
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