GRANVILLE, Ohio (November 7, 2022) – The Denison University women's soccer team is headed back to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the 17th time in school history and for the first time since 2016. Denison carries a 7-8-4 overall record into Geneva, New York, where the Big Red will face No. 22 Tufts University in the opening round of the tournament at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, on William Smith College's Cozzens Field.

The Big Red earned the North Coast Athletic Conference automatic qualifier to the tournament after taking down the NCAC regular-season champions, Kenyon College, 1-0, in the NCAC semifinals and then shutting out Ohio Wesleyan University 2-0 in the championship match. Ellie Reiser netted the game-winner for the Big Red against the Owls in the 73rd minute before Avery Butler, the NCAC Tournament MVP, scored first against the Battling Bishops in the 11th minute followed by an insurance goal from Callie Davis in the 41st minute.

Caroline Garrard leads Denison in both goals (5) and points (11) this season while Amy Chiero, Davis and Butler have each scored three goals. Goalkeeper Wynne Hague has earned the start in 14 matches and has totaled 41 saves, a .820 save percentage and 0.77 goals-against average to go along with five shutouts. As a whole, the Big Red defense, anchored by Victoria Nielsen, Kate Dalimonte and Butler, have posted nine shutouts.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Denison and Tufts, which posted a 10-5-2 overall record and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling 1-0 to Amherst College during the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament. The Jumbos average 2.41 goals per match while limiting their opponents to a 0.71 scoring clip. It could end up being a battle of the defenses as the Big Red are limiting their opponents to 0.95 goals per match to go along with their nine shutouts.

No. 6 nationally-ranked William Smith College is the host site for the four-team regional. The winner of the Denison-Tufts match would face the winner of the William Smith-SUNY Delhi match at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 13.

William Smith enters the national tournament 11-1-6 overall and was crowned the Liberty League regular-season champions for the 15th consecutive season. However, the Herons' 14-year reign as conference champions came to an end with a 5-3 loss in penalty kicks against Ithaca College in the championship.

SUNY Delhi is 9-6-4 after winning its first North Atlantic Conference West Division title and earning its first-ever berth to the NAC Tournament Championship. The Lady Broncos then made history by winning the NAC Championship game at Husson University with a 3-2 overtime win, sending them to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament and marking the first Broncos team sport to qualify for that opportunity.
 
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