YORK, Pa. (November 8, 2023) – The Denison University field hockey team was defeated 3-0 by No. 9 York College of Pennsylvania in the first round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship Tournament on Wednesday at Kinsley Field.

It took until the eighth minute for the first penalty corner and first shot of the game, but then after a save by Athena Joannou in the ninth minute, the Spartans were able to score on the rebound to snap Denison's six game shutout streak.

Joannou made a save early in the second quarter, and then after back-to-back penalty corners starting in the 25th minute, Jonannou made her third save of the first half in the 26th minute.

In all, the Big Red killed four penalty corners in the second quarter to help keep it at a one-score game, and then Kate Hinshaw took both Denison's lone penalty corner and only shot of the game a little bit more than halfway through the third quarter (40th minute).

Denison showed some extra energy in the third quarter, but then after a defensive save by Rachel Gilio, the Spartans again stayed with it and scored to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.

York added a goal on a penalty stroke in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring.

Joannou finished with four saves while the Spartans put eight of their 12 shots on goal and had eight corners in the contest.

The Big Red finished their 24th season under Head Coach P.J. Soteriades 13-6 overall while winning the fifth North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament in program history and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. York, meanwhile, which is making its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, improved to 16-4 and will now advance to play against the No. 11-ranked University of Lynchburg in the second round of the tournament.