GRANVILLE, Ohio—No. 15 Denison held off Kenyon College 12-10 in the 2021 North Coast Athletic Conference men's lacrosse championship from Piper Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  With the win, Denison receives the NCAC's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division III Championship.

Two years ago, in Gambier, the Big Red found themselves in a similar situation against the Lords.  That day, Denison escaped with a 15-12 regular season victory, but then-sophomore goalie David Metzger stood on his head, making 23 saves to keep Kenyon alive until the final horn.

Fast-forward two-plus years and Metzger was still in goal and he asserted himself early and often, making 13 saves in the first half.

Denison held a 7-4 lead at the intermission powered by one goal and three first half assists by Ethan Tyack.  The Lords got a quick goal from Joe Boesel on an assist from Declan Curry, trimming Denison's lead to two.  DU closed out the third quarter by scoring four of the next five goals. Tyack's two goals in a 10 second stretch in the waning seconds of the period were arguably the biggest goals of the day, allowing for a little breathing room at 11-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, Kenyon turned up the heat scoring four of the quarter's five goals.  Ethan Dewbrey's goals with 3:17 and 2:50 remaining got Kenyon to within a pair of goals.

A holding penalty on Kenyon with 1:22 left gave the Big Red a man-up opportunity but a turnover gave the ball back to the Lords with a minute to play.  The play of the game came seconds later when Denison rookie LSM Cole McCoy checked the ball away from a Kenyon middie and Sean Bailey was there to secure the big ground ball.  Denison called a timeout and ran some precious seconds off the clock, ending Kenyon's comeback bid.

Tyack led all scorers with seven points (3g, 4a).  Camden Bowdy and Kenny scored two goals apiece.  Kenny also posted four ground balls.  The Big Red checked into the game leading the nation in face-off percentage. While far from their near .800 winning percentage this season, Denison did win 13-of-23 draws.  Steven Villacorta was 7-for-13 with two ground balls.  Davis Cronin was 6-for-10.  Defensive midfielder Sean Bailey was named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship game. He finished the day with three ground balls and a workmanlike effort on the defensive end.

Kenyon was led by Dewbrey and Joe Boesel who finished with hat-tricks.  Metzger flirted with his 23-save outing from two years ago, finishing with 19 saves in 60 minutes between the pipes.  Denison goalie TJ Spahn turned in 10 saves for the Big Red while going the distance.

This is the 19^th North Coast Athletic Conference championship in Denison men's lacrosse history and the program's eighth in the last 10 seasons.  The NCAA will announce the 2021 NCAA Division III Championship field on Sunday, May 9 at 9 p.m. with a live selection show airing on NCAA.com.