Granville, Ohio- Coming off its 11th North Coast Athletic Conference tournament title and earning its 28th NCAA tournament berth, Denison secured a spot in the third round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Lacrosse championships after defeating Carthage College 20-7 in front of a roaring home crowd. The Big Red improved to 19-1. The Firebirds ended their season with a 16-4 record.
Denison came out itching to score. After five minutes of high-intensity defense by Carthage, a quick pass from Madison Goldstein to Grayson O'Marra broke through for the first goal. That score started a 9-0 run, with four different players scoring: Finlay Harmon completed her hat trick in the first quarter, Emersen Thompson added two goals, and MK Barnhart also scored.
In the second quarter, the two teams traded goals. Carthage's first came from a free-position shot by Piper Lefevre. The Big Red allowed one more goal in the quarter, but responded with three goals. O'Marra scored her second, while Anie Savarese and Ellie Muldoon added goals nine and ten, giving Denison an eight-goal lead.
After halftime, Denison led 10-2 and allowed Carthage's third goal. Denison then scored four straight, beginning with a free-position goal by Sophie Davenport. The Firebirds kept pushing offensively and scored late to cut Denison's lead to ten. In addition to Davenport's goal, Mary Martinson, Bridget Sheehy, and Addie Clift each scored in the quarter.
Picking up where they left off in the third, Carthage scored its fifth goal to stop the running clock. Just a minute later, Jamie Epstein converted a pass from Sheehy to keep the clock running and start a six-goal Big Red run. Thompson and Muldoon then stretched the lead to 12, and Hana Asghari capped the run with three goals to give Denison a decisive 20-5 lead before Carthage scored twice to close out the game.
The Big Red held a 33-15 shot advantage and bolstered a 12-6 edge in caused turnovers. Denison's defense was stifling, resulting in Carthage capitalizing on just 11 of its 18 clear attempts. The Big Red's dominance in the circle led to winning 19 of the 29 draw controls, with about six draw controls leading directly to goals.
In goal for the Big Red, Julianne Henigan, Kaylyn Kirrane, and Cate Dannahey split time between the pipes. Henigan tallied three saves, while Kirrane had one.
Highlights from the game
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Up Next for the Big Red
Denison advances to the third round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Lacrosse championships and will face Christopher Newport. The date and time of their round three game is yet to be determined, so stay tuned for more information.
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