Granville, Ohio- On a cool, fall risp morning, the No. 6 Denison men's soccer team took on  No. 18 Johns Hopkins in a nationally ranked matchup, and would blitz the Blue Jays with a three-goal first half to win 4-0 in the Big Red's fourth shutout of the season. Denison moves to 4-0 for the season, while Johns Hopkins drops to 2-2.

The match started out in a defensive battle, with Johns Hopkins getting a couple shots on goal, but Denison's first-year goalkeeper Alex Provost would save both attempts. The teams were chippy from the start, recording a combined total of six fouls before the 26th minute.

In the 27th minute, junior forward Jack Rice would break open the scoring with a goal off of a free kick from Kameron Kist to open up the scoring 1-0. It was Rice's first goal of the season.

Not long after, senior midfielder Phil Koutsaftis and Rice found Julian Bozzolo on a snappy pass to give the Big Red a 2-0 lead at the 28th-minute mark.

Kist would continue the explosive first half, as he blasted a shot from the right side of the field and elevated it over the goalkeeper's head for a 3-0 lead in the first half. The Big Red held a 7-5 shot advantage over the Blue Jays in the first half, and led in corner kicks 4-2 as well.

The scoring onslaught would come to a close five minutes into the second half. This time, Kameron Kist located senior defender Henri Heyes for his third goal of the season to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Kist would finish the day with four total points (one goal, two assists).

Provost earned his fourth shutout of the season after having four saves. He now has eight saves on the season and has not been scored on so far in his rookie season.

Denison led the game in shots 14-12 and held a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. The match would continue to be scrappy in the second half, with Johns Hopkins picking up three yellow cards while Denison had two. 

The Big Red will return home this Friday, September 12, as they take on Berea College at 7 p.m. at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium.