GRANVILLE, Ohio (November 2, 2021) – The 2021 North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament has been set, and the third-seeded Denison University men's soccer team will play at second-seeded and No. 20 nationally-ranked Ohio Wesleyan University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3, at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex in Delaware, Ohio.

In its first full season under Head Coach Brandon Bianco, Denison finished the regular season 10-4-2 overall and 6-2-1 both at home and in the NCAC, and reached 10 wins overall for the first time since 2015.

The Big Red have not lost since a 2-0 decision at home against Kenyon College on October 9, and went on to win five matches in a row before a 0-0 draw against the College of Wooster last time out on October 30.

Denison's only other conference loss this season was another 2-0 defeat, that one in its first conference match of the season at Ohio Wesleyan, which finished its regular season 14-1-2 overall and 8-1 in the conference. The Bishops, similarly to Denison, have not lost since a 1-0 double overtime defeat at Kenyon on October 12, and have since won five straight to close out the regular season.

Denison is playing in the NCAC tournament for the 11th time. The Big Red have won the NCAC tournament twice, most recently in 2009. Ohio Wesleyan is making its 20th NCAC tournament appearance. The Bishops have won the NCAC tournament title 10 times, most recently in 2017. Denison and Ohio Wesleyan have met seven times in the NCAC tournament, most recently in 2018 when the Bishops won 2-1.

Junior Vitor Rocha currently leads Denison with eight goals and 17 points on the season while fellow-junior Ethan Miracle is next with six goals and 15 points, followed by freshman Cameron McIntosh with five goals and 12 points and then another junior, Luca Vicinelli, with four goals and 11 points. Miracle and Vicinelli are also tied for the team-lead with three assists apiece.

Rocha's eight goals tie him for sixth in the NCAC while Miracle is tied for ninth and McIntosh is tied for 12th.

Senior goalkeeper Dylan Brown has earned the start in all 16 matches throughout the season and has recorded 64 saves, a .821 save percentage and a 0.86 goals-against average with eight shutouts.

In addition to leading the NCAC in minutes (1461.48) and in shutouts, Brown is second in the conference in save percentage and in wins, is third in goals-against average, and is fourth in total saves.

NCAC Athlete of the Week Award: Denison men's soccer earned one conference athlete of the week award during the regular season:
10/4: Vitor Rocha scored three goals and had seven total points on the week. He had six shots and four shots on goal while scoring the first goal of the match to help Denison tie No. 13 nationally-ranked Otterbein on Wednesday. He then netted two goals and five points while playing a part in each of the first three goals of the match in a 6-0 win over Allegheny to give the Big Red their first conference win of the season.

Seeds and Schedule:
#1 Kenyon (9-0-0, 27 pts.)
#2 Ohio Wesleyan (8-1-0, 24 pts.)
#3 Denison (6-2-1, 19 pts.)
#4 Wabash (4-3-2, 14 pts.)

The tournament will open with semifinal games on Wednesday, November 3, with the championship game slated for Saturday, November 6, at the site of the highest remaining seed to emerge from the semifinals.

Semifinal Games - Wednesday, November 3
#4 Wabash at #1 Kenyon, 2:00 p.m.
#3 Denison at #2 Ohio Wesleyan, 7:00 p.m.

Championship Game - Saturday, November 6
Winners of semifinal games at highest remaining seed, TBA

As NCAC champs, the Lords enter the NCAC Tournament as the top seed and will host fourth-seeded Wabash on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 2:00 p.m. Kenyon defeated the Little Giants in overtime, 2-1, in the regular season on Oct. 16. Second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan will host third-seeded Denison in the other semifinal match at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Ohio Wesleyan defeated Denison, 2-0, on Sept. 25 during the regular season. The championship match is set for Saturday, Nov. 6, at the site of the highest remaining seed to emerge from the semifinal round.

Tourney Notes: The tournament winner receives the NCAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament ... Kenyon, making its 14th overall appearance in the field of four, currently owns the longest active streak of nine-straight appearances and will enter postseason play with five conference tournament titles ... The Lords maneuvered through the 2019 tournament bracket as the No. 1 seed by knocking off No. 4 Oberlin, 5-1, in the semifinals and No. 2 Ohio Wesleyan, 2-1, in the championship final ... Ohio Wesleyan returns to the NCAC postseason for the 20th time with a league-high 10 titles... Denison is making its 11th appearance overall, last winning the tournament in 2009 … Wabash is returning to the tournament for the sixth-time in program history after making its debut in 2013.

Media Coverage: To follow the action this postseason, please check out our Live Events page for all the video and live stats details: https://denisonbigred.com/coverage

Additional Links:
NCAC Tournament Page: https://northcoast.org/sports/msoc/Tournament/2021
NCAC Ticket Policy: https://northcoast.org/Championships/ticket