A trio of goals in the opening 28 minutes propelled Denison to its fourth-straight North Coast Athletic Conference victory on Tuesday in Granville.  The Big Red topped Wittenberg, 3-2, in their final game of the season at Barclay-Thomsen Field.

The DU offense was firing on all cylinders early in the match.  On Denison's first corner of the night, Evan Porter sent a header that was blocked out of bounds, resulting in a second set piece.  Sophomore Mark Waterman sent the ball into the box to a jumping Ryan Torgersen.  Torgersen flicked a header back to Porter who buried a shot from point blank range at 8:40.  The goal was the first of Porter's career, while Waterman notched his team-leading fifth assist of the year.

Roughly eight minutes later, the Tigers' Alejandro Garcia netted the equalizer off a Matt Wagner save.  Less than five minutes later, Wittenberg fell behind 2-1 after a Tiger defender headed the ball past keeper Jeff Mengerink and into his own goal.  The goal at 21:03 was set up by a cross from the left side by junior Bob Casarona.

In the 28th minute, Torgersen corralled a touch pass from JJ Dix and dribbled down the left side line.  The senior captain darted towards the goal and unloaded an attempt that deflected off Mengerink's hands and into the lower left 90.  The goal was Torgersen's fifth of the year, and the 16th of his collegiate career.

Garcia made it a one-score game with a goal in the 73rd minute off a cross by Hicks.  With four seconds left in regulation, Garcia had one last attempt at tying the match and forcing overtime.  However, the senior's shot deep in the 18-yard box was deflected by the DU defense and cleared out of danger as the final second ticked off the clock.

Denison dominated in shots 26-12, including a 12-5 advantage in shots on goal.  The Big Red also attempted 11 corner kicks compared to three by the Tigers.  Wagner finished the night with three saves, while Mengerink recorded eight stops in net.

DU improves to 8-5-2 overall and 4-2-1 in NCAC play, while Wittenberg drops to 5-9-2 and 0-5-1 in league play.  The Big Red will close out the regular season with two tough road games.  Denison begins its road trip on Saturday at Hiram.  Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m.