Wheaton (Ill.) won its third Division III women's soccer title in four seasons while Middlebury won its first men's soccer title by 1-0 scores that were hardly identical.

The Thunder, who defeated Messiah, finished 27-0 and end the 2007 season with 45 consecutive wins. Jami Hermann picked up a loose ball 42:50 into the match and bended it past Messiah goalie Brindley Beckwith for the 1-0 lead. Middlebury (18-2-2) defeated Trinity (Texas) on penalty kicks and dealt the Tigers (23-1) their only loss of the season.

Wheaton outshot the Falcons 18-9 and held a 9-4 edge in corner kicks, but goalkeeper Kristin Eggert, an all-tournament selection, made the save of the match with a diving stop in the final five minutes. "I was focused pretty intensely on that ball. I knew that all of the girls around me had worked so hard to keep that zero on the scoreboard, so I really wanted to keep it as well."

The Thunder join The College of New Jersey with three championships. UC-San Diego, which has since moved to Division II, won five Division III women's soccer titles.

The scoreless first half of the men's championship game was controlled by Trinity, as the Tigers outshot Middlebury 13-6 in the opening frame. Trinity's leading scorer, Patrick Floeck, had the first major opportunity, sailing a one-touch volley over the crossbar after a long throw-in from the left corner. Floeck went airborne later in the half, trying to put a head on a cross from the left sideline, but he collided with Bush and had to leave the game.

Middlebury's best shot came shortly before the half. Andrew Banadda chased down a loose ball in the box with just over a minute before halftime, and his one-touch blast rocketed off the left post and back into play. Casey Ftorek was in position for the rebound, but his shot was off the mark to the right.

With 15 minutes left in regulation, Middlebury found an opening to Ftorek streaking down the left side, but his shot from outside the penalty area bounced wide right. Later, with the clock counting down from 10 seconds, Trinity's Joseph DeCosta received a cross from the right side and had a one-touch shot blocked by Bush, saving Middlebury from a last-second defeat.

In the shootout, Ftorek scored with a shot to the bottom left to tie it at one. Bush made a diving save in the second round before Andrew Germansky gave Middlebury a 2-1 lead. Trinity scored to start off the third round and Stephen Hart's shot was saved to tie it at two. Following a Tiger conversion, David LaRocca scored to knot it at three goals apiece. Trinity's fourth shooter hit the crossbar before Brandon Jackson scored to give the Panthers the national title.

"The foundation of a good team is defense," Middlebury coach David Saward said. "It's an incredible honor for us to do this, especially with the four teams that were here."

The Middlebury defense did not allow a goal through the entire tournament, and that mindset helped prepare them for the high-powered Trinity attack. Bush ended the season with a 623 minute scoreless streak.

"I felt that we played good enough soccer to create enough chances to win in the first half, and again in the second half and overtime," Trinity coach Paul McGinlay said. "When it comes to penalty kicks, there's no more coaching."

"Over 400 teams started the year," McGinlay added, "and on Nov. 24 there were two left. We came as close as you can possibly come to having the perfect season."