It's never easy to open your season against a conference rival but the Big Red passed their first test of 2011 by defeating Wittenberg, 1-0 on Saturday morning from Granville, Ohio.

Last year the Tigers were the team who seemed to have the Big Red's number.  In 2010 Wittenberg handed the Big Red three losses in all three meetings.  They were also the team who ended DU's season following a 3-2, overtime defeat in the semifinals of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

It's a new year and the Big Red returned with a veteran presence which helped them move to 1-0 in conference play.

Denison scored their lone goal just before the end of the first half when junior Catie Merrick fired a shot that rebounded off the shin guard of Wittenberg goalie Jenny Schaafsma.  Off the rebound, DU sophomore Mia Day was there with the follow-up that found the back of the cage.

Denison outshot Wittenberg 8-5 in the first half and in the second half the Big Red offense took even more control, outshooting the Tigers 8-1 while piling up nine penalty corners.

For the match, DU had 13 penalty corner attempts to Wittenberg's four and they outshot their opponents 16-6.

Merrick led all players with five shot attempts.  Kelsey Flowers had the lone defensive save and Brittany Benson posted five saves for the Big Red.  Schaafsma ended the contest with six saves in goal for the Tigers.

Denison will return to action tomorrow when they host Sewanee at 12 p.m. in Piper Stadium.  A live video broadcast of Sunday's match will be provided by the Denison Sports Network.