DELAWARE, Ohio (Nov. 9) – The second-seeded Denison University field hockey team dropped a 1-0 decision to top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University in the 2024 North Coast Athletic Conference Championship game Saturday afternoon at Selby Stadium. 
 
Denison entered the day hoping to repeat as tournament champions after they defeated OWU in last year's final by a 1-0 score. The loss snaps Denison's seven-game winning streak. The Big Red concludes its season at 11-7 overall. 
 
Ohio Wesleyan, who improves to 17-4 overall, has earned the league's automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament.
 
Much like their regular season matchup back on Oct. 1, also a 1-0 win by Ohio Wesleyan, the two teams played through a defensive battle for 60 minutes. 
 
The Battling Bishops recorded three shots in the first quarter while the Big Red got its first and only shot of the opening 15 minutes from Reilly Desmond. Neither team was able to fire a shot towards their respective cages in the second quarter. Denison earned a penalty corner during an otherwise uneventful second quarter on the stat sheet. 
 
OWU scored the eventual game winner just 2:29 into the third quarter. After drawing a penalty corner opportunity, the Battling Bishops were able to get a goal from NCAC Tournament MVP Avery Slucher, who's shot from the top of the circle hit a Denison defender's stick, sending it into the air and into the back of the cage. 
 
Denison tried to score a potential tying goal late in the third. Following a penalty corner by Lila Smith, a shot by Emma Gebhart went wide. 
 
In the fourth quarter, Denison would record one more shot, as Smith put a shot wide of the goal. 
 
OWU outpaced Denison by a 5-3 margin in shots. Both teams finished with two penalty corners. 
 
Denison will lose Athena Joannou and Kristin Kelley to graduation. The Big Red were making their third appearance in the title game in the past four years. 
 
Notes: Tabitha Chandler, Desmond and Claire Willoughby earned spots on the NCAC All-Tournament Team, the NCAC announced following the conclusion of Saturday's contest.