GRANVILLE, Ohio (October 26, 2022) – The Denison University field hockey team is peaking at just the right time as the Big Red earned their fifth win in a row and their eighth win in their last nine games with a 3-1 victory over Wittenberg University in their final home game of the 2022 regular season. In addition, the Big Red finished the regular season a perfect 8-0 when playing on their home turf inside Deeds Field-Piper Stadium.

In the 11th minute, a great effort by the Wittenberg goalkeeper, Emma Hurguy, kept the ball out of the goal on back-to-back shots near the goal by Denison's Madeleine Hunt and Nina Casingal, and then just over 30 seconds later, Hurguy had to make her third save in a row on a shot by Grace Lock.

Then less than 20 seconds into the second quarter, the Tigers were awarded a penalty corner, and they made it count as the pass by Meredith Johnson went to Lucy Ripepi, who ripped a shot from the top of the box that went right into the goal.

Sunnie Fireman had a good look with a shot on goal just under a minute and a half later, but another amazing save by Hurguy preserved the 1-0 lead to that point.

After Denison's sixth penalty corner of the second quarter in the 25th minute, a shot from the middle of the box by Casingal just bounced off the pads of Hurguy, and then after three more penalty corners, Denison finally got on the scoreboard as the pass into the box by Lock was finished off with a goal by Helen Breen in the 28th minute.

In all, the Big Red had 10 penalty corners in the second quarter while limiting the Tigers to only one shot in the first half, but that shot made a big difference on the scoreboard at the time.

Less than five minutes into the third quarter, Denison took the lead for good as Meg Baylis passed from the top of the box down to Kristin Kelley, who juked past her defender and scored toward the near right post to make it 2-1 Big Red in the 35th minute.

Back-to-back shots by Hunt and Breen in the 43rd minute were both saved by Hurguy, who added another save in the 44th minute on a shot by Katherine Flanagan to push her total to eight saves through three quarters. She then added two more saves in the fourth quarter to finish with 10 for the game.

For the Big Red, Athena Joannou made her lone save of the game on what was only the second shot of the game by the Tigers in the 58th minute, and then Breen scored her second goal of the game in the 59th minute.

Denison (11-4 overall, 6-1 NCAC) will conclude the regular season at DePauw University in a game with important conference tournament seeding implications on the line. The Big Red and the Tigers will meet at 12 p.m. on Saturday, October 29, to determine the top three seeds in the conference standings.