Denison begins its march to a second consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship when they host Wooster on May 4. The top-seeded Big Red has won 18 conference titles in program history and enters with an 11-5 record and a perfect 8-0 mark in NCAC play. Fourth-seeded Wooster also enters the tournament with an 11-5 overall record. They went 4-4 in conference play.
A trio of upperclassmen leads the Big Red offense. Senior Carol Allen leads the team with 44 goals and 56 total points. Her 147 career goals rank third in program history. Classmate Lizzy Pellicane leads the team with 20 assists and is third with 30 goals scored. She also leads the team with 12 free position goals. Junior Claire Ludlow leads the team with 57 draw controls; she has also scored 33 goals and added 17 assists.
Defensively, Denison allows 9.36 goals per game, the third-best mark in conference. The Big Red is also third in caused turnovers with 146 on the season. Sophomore Grace Gavula leads the team with 37 ground balls. She is followed closely behind by first-year Jane Goodspeed, who has 35 ground balls and a team-high 22 caused turnovers. Sophomore Emily Marlatt has also started all 16 games on defense.
The Fighting Scots opened the season 7-0, including a win over Division II Ursuline College. Senior Ellie Hudson-Heck leads the team with 56 goals and 23 assists. Her 79 points lead the NCAC. She is also second in the conference with 57 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers.
Senior Isabel Perman has started all 16 games in goals for the Scots, posting a 10.72 goals-against average with over 800 minutes between the pipes.
The winner of this semifinal will face the winner of Wittenberg (12-3, 6-2) and Allegheny (9-8, 5-3). Should Denison win, they will host the championship on Sunday, May 8, at 1 p.m.
Wednesday's game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Piper Stadium. Admission is free for students with a valid NCAC student ID. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. If you cannot make it to the game, the Denison Sports Network will be providing a live video stream.
