GRANVILLE, Ohio - After a 2-1 win over Kenyon in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Denison will travel to Rochester, N.Y. to face the University of Rochester in the first round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship on Wednesday, November 13 at 3 p.m. The winner of the Denison-Rochester first-round contest will travel to Baltimore, Md. for a second-round matchup with Tufts University on the campus of Johns Hopkins.
Dancing Days Are Here Again: This is Denison's third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the 14th in program history. The Big Red's last NCAA Tournament win came in the first round in 2000, a 2-1 overtime victory over Eastern. Last season, the Big Red suffered a 3-1 loss to Lynchburg and in 2017 they dropped a 1-0, double-overtime heartbreaker to Washington and Lee.
History Lesson: This is the fourth meeting between Denison and Rochester and the first time the two teams have met in the NCAA Tournament. Rochester leads the series, 2-1. The first game between the two schools took place in 1986 with Rochester coming away with a 1-0 win. Denison defeated then 15th ranked Rochester 2-1 in 2014 but lost to the Yellow Jackets, 2-0 in 2015.
MVP: Sophomore AC Veith was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player after helping lead Denison to a 2-0 win over DePauw in the semifinals. She also assisted on Denison's first goal in the 2-1 championship win over Kenyon.
Scoring Statement: Charlotte Godfrey leads Denison in scoring with nine goals. The Big Red is 7-1 in games that Godfrey scores at least one goal.
Holding Down the Middle: Junior midfielder Abby Scully is second on the team in scoring with 19 points. She has also been accurate, putting 63 percent of her shots-on-goal.
The Other Rochester: Denison junior goalie Teya Adams hails from Rochester, New Hampshire, not Rochester, New York but she's been stellar, allowing nine goals while posting a .845 save percentage and a 0.54 goals-against average. She is second in Division III in GAA and the Denison defense, powered by the likes of Rachel Kelsey, and Gakenheimer, Denison leads the nation with a 0.47 GAA, as a team.
The Ali G Project: There has been one constant over the last four seasons and that has been senior fullback Ali Gakenheimer who has started every game (80) in her career with the Big Red. Gakenheimer has scored six goals and added four assists in her career.
Winning Streak: Denison has won nine-straight games dating back to an October 1 setback against Kenyon. During that streak, the Big Red has outscored the opposition 27-2.
Sweet 16: Denison's 16 wins are the sixth-most in program history. Last year's 18-win season is tied with 2011 and 1984 for most victories in a season.
Rochester at a Glance: The Yellow Jackets enter the playoffs at 14-8 overall after winning their second Liberty League title in program history with a 1-0 victory over No. 16 Vassar. Rochester has won six of their last nine matches, including a pair of shutouts in the Liberty League Tournament. Rochester is led on offense by senior Catherine Hauser who leads the team with 14 goals and 29 points while Amanda Strenk follows with 12 goals and four assists. Colleen Maillie and Maya Haigis have each tallied a team-best nine assists and senior goalie Kate Kujawa has posted 100 saves this season.
