Box Score Two matches in two days and the Big Red exits the first weekend of the 2011 season with a pair of shutout victories following Sunday's 2-0 win over Sewanee.
After opening North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Wittenberg, Denison's consistent play continued into this afternoon, resulting in the 2-0 win over a Sewanee squad that was coming off a convincing 4-1 victory over Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday.
Denison notched their first goal of the match in the 29th minute when Tonie Michaels intercepted a pass just beyond midfield and threaded a pass to Katie McMahon who was one-on-one with Sewanee goalie Anna Morrow in transition. On the McMahon's third touch she fired a shot past Morrow, giving DU a 1-0 lead.
The Big Red would maintain that one-goal lead until the 59th minute when McMahon sent a cross through traffic in front of the Sewanee goal to Alex B. Berman who was waiting on the left side of the cage. After taking the pass, Berman lifted a shot over the Sewanee goalkeeper for her first goal of the season and the fourth goal of her career.
Denison outshot their opponents 15-5 and they were efficient, sending 11 of those 15 shots on-cage. Morrow posted seven saves for Sewanee while Zuie Billings and Ellie Murphy both posted defensive saves. For DU, Catie Merrick led the way with six shots while Berman added four and McMahon attempted three. Kelsey Flowers notched a defensive save for the second consecutive contest.
Brittany Benson posted her second shutout of the season by playing all 70 minutes while recording two saves. The Big Red will hit the road next weekend when they travel to Rochester, N.Y. for a two-day tournament hosted by Nazareth College. On Saturday (Sept. 10) Denison will open against SUNY-Brockport at 1 p.m. and they will close out the tournament against an opponent to be determined on Sunday.
