The Big Rd put together a furious second-half rally, but the Wooster Fighting Scots kept their undefeated North Coast Athletic Conference record intact with a 13-12 victory on Wednesday night in Wooster, Ohio.

Wooster outscored Denison 9-4 in the opening half, highlighted by five-consecutive goals to end the period. Sophomore Claire Ludlow sparked DU's offense in the opening half with three goals.

Shelby Stone, who scored four times in the first half, opened the second half with a goal that ran the home team's streak to six unanswered tallies. Sophomore Reid Hirschey scored off an assist from Ludlow to cut the margin to five, but a second goal from Ellie Hudson-Heck put the Scots in front 11-5.

Facing a six-goal deficit, freshman Halle Walsh got the Big Red comeback started with a free-position goal with 21:15 left to play. Kelsey Wright followed with another score off an assist from Lizzy Pellicane. Hudson-Beck converted a free-position attempt to rebuild a five-goal advantage, but four-straight scores shrunk the margin to one with 3:41 on the clock.

Walsh scored her second goal at 14:39 off a pass from senior Whitney Powel. With 9:03 to play, Pellicane scored off an assist from Ludlow. Powel picked up her second assist of the game when she hit Carol Allen for a goal with 7:32. The four-goal run was capped off by an unassisted tally from Claudia Rafi.

Twenty-four seconds after Rafi's goal, Stone netted her sixth goal of the game, a score that proved to be very important for the Fighting Scots. With 1:15 remaining, Powel cashed in on a Wynn Boehmcke yellow card with a free-position goal 14 seconds after the penalty.

With time winding down, Lillian Smith forced an Ashley Parry turnover that was collected by Powel with nine seconds to play. However, Wooster prevented a successful DU clear which allowed the home team to remain undefeated in conference play.

Ludlow paced the Big Red offense with three goals and two assists, while Walsh and Allen both finished with two goals. Smith and Isabel Swicklik each collected four ground balls, while Melissa Weinsz and Emily Marlatt had three apiece. Laura Van Horn made five saves in 26+ minutes.

Stone led the Wooster offense with six goals, while Hudson-Heck chipped in three scores. Hudson-Beck also led all players with seven draw controls, while Stone had five. Boehmcke had six ground balls and caused four turnovers. Goalie Isabel Perman made six stops between the pipes.

Denison falls to 4-6 on the year and 1-2 in NCAC play, while the Scots improve to 9-2 overall and 4-0 in league play. The Big Red wraps up the week on Saturday at Allegheny. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m.