Behind an impressive 6-2 record in North Coast Athletic Conference play, the Denison women's soccer team secured a home match in the semifinal round of the 2015 NCAC Tournament this Wednesday in Granville.
The Big Red locked up the second seed in the tournament with a 2-0 victory at Oberlin in the final match of the regular season. As the No. 2 seed, DU will host third-seeded Kenyon, last year's NCAC Tournament champion, at Barclay-Thomsen Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
In eight conference matches this season, Denison boasted the highest scoring offense with 20 goals, while the Ladies surrendered just three goals to league teams. The Big Red defense allowed the second-fewest goals (6), while the Kenyon offense scored 11 times in conference play.
Wednesday's semifinal contest will be the 43rd meeting between Denison and Kenyon and just the second time the two teams will play each other in the postseason. In 2006, the Big Red posted a 6-0 semifinal win over the Ladies in Gambier. DU leads the all-time series against Kenyon, 37-5.
Denison (14-3) will be looking to avenge a 1-0 double overtime loss at Kenyon (11-6-1) on Oct. 17. Maggie Smith broke the scoreless tie in the 103rd minute off an assist from Gillian Blackwell. Maggie Armstrong and Jacquie Graham each had two shots, while Jenny Herold made three saves.
The quartet of Graham, Armstrong, Anne Denz and Meg Wozniak lead the high-powered Denison offense this season. Graham has a team-best eight goals and co-leads the squad in points (17) with Armstrong, who has scored seven times and dished out three assists in her first year with the Big Red. Denz has compiled 15 points (6 goals, 3 assists) this season and, with her goal in last Saturday's win at Oberlin, has a point in seven of DU's last eight victories. Coming off a 16-point freshman campaign, Wozniak has scored five goals and dished out three assists in her sophomore season.
Herold and the defensive line comprised of Allison Vilsack, Drew Wentzel, Jessica Skelly and Logan Berlet have posted eight shutouts and a 0.63 goals-against average in 17 matches this season. The backline has also produced in the offensive third this year, totaling eight goals and four assists.
In the other NCAC semifinal match, top-seeded DePauw will host fourth-seeded Wittenberg at 7 p.m. On Oct. 21 in Greencastle, DePauw rallied from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Wittenberg in overtime, 2-1. The two semifinal winners will face off on Saturday (Nov. 7) on the home field of the highest remaining seed.
Ticket prices for Wednesday's women's soccer match are $7 for adults and $3 for children and students without a valid NCAC ID. Any NCAC student with a valid NCAC Institution ID will be admitted free of charge. Admission will also be waived for the first 50 Denison faculty or staff members who arrive with a valid ID. A live video broadcast will be provided by the Denison Sports Network along with live stats.
