GRANVILLE, Ohio – The Denison University women's soccer team readies for its second season under head coach
Sarah Brink. The Big Red will look to build off a memorable finish to the 2023 season when this year's campaign opens later this week.
Before looking ahead to 2024, Coach Brink took time to reflect on her first year as head coach, a season that resulted in a North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"I felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to become part of the Denison Women's Soccer program, and us winning the NCAC tournament was a huge testament to the group I walked into," Brink said. "They were a tight knit group who quickly bought into our collective vision of what we were hoping to accomplish last fall. Ultimately, we focused on staying connected through the ups and downs of season, which I believe allowed us to peak at the right time."
2023 Season Review: Denison finished 8-5-6 overall while winning the fifth NCAC Tournament in program history and making the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
The Big Red opened the season with a win over Alma and a draw versus Adrian in Michigan. Following a win over New Jersey City, Denison recorded consecutive ties over John Carroll, Albion and Centre to move its record to 2-0-4. After dropping back-to-back matches, Denison finished non-conference play with a 1-0 road win over Otterbein.
Denison went unbeaten in its first five NCAC matches. Denison rolled to a 4-0 win over Kenyon to open NCAC play on Senior Day. After back-to-back draws with DePauw and Wooster, Denison earned a pair of 1-0 wins over Oberlin and Hiram. Back-to-back conference losses to Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan put Denison at 3-2-2 at the end of the regular season.
The Big Red entered the NCAC Tournament as the fourth seed for a second-straight year. A second half goal by
Kendall Sierens lifted Denison past top seeded Wittenberg in the NCAC Semifinals. The win meant that Denison would travel to DePauw for the NCAC Championship match. A pair of second half goals lifted Denison to the tournament title.
Mara McGlone scored in the 66th minute and a score by
Callie Davis in the 89th minute solidified the 2-0 victory.
The season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament as the Big Red fell by a 2-1 score to the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Eliza Roach tallied the goal for Denison.
Four members of the Big Red earned All-NCAC honors following claiming the tournament title. Leading the way was
Callie Davis, who collected First Team honors.
Ellie Reiser and
Sarah Sollinger both secured spots on the Second Team.
Mara McGlone finished with a spot on Third Team. Reiser went on to earn All-Region Third Team honors from the United Soccer Coaches.
2024 North Coast Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
Rank School (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Wittenberg (3) 56
2. Ohio Wesleyan (5) 54
3. Denison 48
4. DePauw 46
5. Wooster 32
T6. Kenyon 22
T6. Oberlin 22
8. Hiram 8
Captains: Kate Dalimonte,
Wynne Hague,
Eliza Roach,
Sarah Sollinger
Position-By-Position Breakdown:
Forwards
Denison will be tasked with replacing All-NCAC First Team forward
Callie Davis, who finished last fall as the team's leading scorer with 14 points (five goals, four assists).
"We will miss the players who graduated, but we have a lot of capable returners and newcomers who I think are ready to compete," Brink said. "I'm really proud of the work the team put in over the summer to come back prepared to play."
Kendall Sierens and
Sophia Connell return after productive seasons last fall. Sierens scored four goals, three of which were game winners. Connell added a pair of scores last year as a junior.
Eliza Roach tallied a goal and two assists while appearing in all 19 contests.
Caroline Flynn appeared in all matches and scored twice.
Midfield
Denison will need to
Ellie Reiser, an All-NCAC selection who helped anchor the midfield. Reiser appeared in 55 games (54 starts) over the past three seasons.
Mara McGlone picked up Third Team All-NCAC accolades in her first year last fall. McGlone appeared in all 19 games (16 starts). Her first collegiate goal came in the NCAC Championship match.
Isabella Guzman appeared in all 19 matches on the bench last season. Sophomore Maddy Greinstein appeared in 16 games as a first-year player in 2023.
Emma Wecht made appearances in 14 games as a junior while
Ava Wood saw time in six contests.
Tate Lucas returns after missing the 2023 season. Lucas appeared in 11 games in 2022.
Defense
Sarah Sollinger returns after earning Second Team All-NCAC last season. Sollinger has made 33 starts over the past two seasons with the Big Red.
Kate Dalimonte, a 2022 First Team All-NCAC, returns with 52 starts to her record. The three-year starter will help anchor the defensive efforts.
Avery Butler, a two-year starter, has appeared in 38 games (34 starts) in helping Denison to two NCAC tournament titles.
Reily Brinley made 18 appearances (13 starts) during her first year with the Big Red last fall.
Lauren Jensen appeared in 18 of 19 matches last year. Jensen made seven starts as a first year player.
Keaton Rahman appeared in 17 games as a reserve last season.
Goalkeepers
The goalkeeper position is poised to be a strength on paper for the Big Red. Denison brings back a pair of keepers with starting experience.
Molly Noga returns after starting all 19 matches and logging every minute of playing time last time. Noga made 64 saves, logged a 1.01 goals against average and a .771 save percentage. Noga registered an NCAC leading eight shutouts in 2023.
Wynne Hague also returns at the goalkeeper position. Hague missed the 2023 season. She brings starting experience back as she appeared in 16 matches (15 starts) as a sophomore in 2022. Hague compiled a 0.78 goals against average, which ranked second in the NCAC. Hague made 45 saves and accounted for five shutouts during the season. Her .818 save percentage ranked third in the NCAC.
Newcomers: "I'm really excited for this group of newcomers," Brink stated. "They all came in very prepared for season, and I think they will impact us on and off the field in a positive way."
# Name Pos. Yr. Hometown / High School
2
Clare Mone D Fr. West Tisbury, Mass. / Milton Academy
3
Ava Catherall F Fr. Palatine, Ill. / William Fremd
13
Megan Mulvey F Fr. Reading, Mass. / Brooks Academy
18
Caleigh Renzella D Fr. Wellesley, Mass. / Wellesley
21
Maryn Zavislak MF Fr. Westerville, Ohio / Olentangy Orange
27
Tessa Bensley D Fr. Philadelphia, Pa. / Central
30
Lola Tirabassi MF Fr. Greenwich, Conn. / Greenwich Academy
Coaching Staff: Sarah Brink returns for her second year. In year one, Brink helped guide the Big Red to the NCAC Tournament Championship in 2023. They defeated Wittenberg University 1-0 in the semifinals before topping DePauw University 2-0 in the championship in Greencastle, Indiana. In Coach Brink's first season leading the Big Red in 2023, Denison finished 8-5-6 overall while winning the fifth NCAC Tournament in program history and making the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
Paul Wise and
Dr. Veerendra Lele round out the coaching staff.
A Look At The Schedule: Denison opens up the 2024 schedule with a pair of home games on the opening weekend of play. The Big Red welcomes Otterbein and Capital on Aug 30 and Sept. 1, respectively. The following weekend, Denison heads to Pittsburgh to face Westminster and William Smith at the Carnegie Mellon Tartan Cup.
The road stretch continues as Denison has three-straight road contests with Centre, Trine and Mount Union. The Big Red has a pair of home games Ohio Northern (Sept 24) and Wilmington (Oct. 2) wrapped around a trip to Washington & Jefferson.
"I think our non-conference schedule will prepare us for conference play well," Brink said. "We have some challenging games with NCAA caliber teams that will push us to show up ready to compete, which is what we have to do with every game in NCAC play - show up ready to compete."
NCAC play opens with a trip to Wittenberg University on Oct. 5. The Big Red heads to Kenyon on Oct. 11 before hosting DePauw (Oct. 16) and Wooster (Oct. 19). Following a trip to Oberlin on Oct. 22, Denison concludes the regular season with back-to-back home games, as they face Hiram (Oct. 26) and Ohio Wesleyan (Nov. 2).
