Women's Soccer Wraps Up Regular Season With Win Over Ohio Wesleyan, 1-0

Sophomore midfielder Josie Russell broke open the match in the third minute on Saturday afternoon at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium, lifting the Denison Big Red women’s soccer team to a 1-0 regular-season-closing win over Ohio Wesleyan, denisonbigred.com reported.

Granville Finale Secures Postseason Spot

The lone goal of the contest arrived at the 3:02 mark. Senior defender Reily Brinley fed a clean pass to Russell, who finished cleanly for her third goal of the campaign. That early strike proved decisive, though Denison kept the pressure dialed up for the full ninety minutes. The Big Red rattled the woodwork twice during the opening half alone, as a shot from sophomore forward Lucy Perkins found the post and a bid from senior midfielder Mattie Mielke caught the crossbar.

Denison thoroughly dictated the run of play, out-shooting Ohio Wesleyan 20-4. The home side managed a 10-2 advantage in shots on target and earned eight corner kicks while conceding just one. Mielke paced the attack with five total shots, two on target, while Brinley and first-year midfielder Brimmer Mather contributed three shots apiece. Sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Hague turned away two shots to secure the clean sheet.

It marked the ninth shutout of the season for the Big Red defensive unit and their third scoreless outing. With the victory, Denison wraps up the regular-season slate standing at 8-2-5 overall and 4-0-3 within North Coast Athletic Conference play.

The Semifinal Matchup Against Kenyon

By locking down the result in Granville, the Big Red officially punched their ticket to the NCAC Tournament. The squad now turns its attention to postseason action.

Denison will host Kenyon College on Wednesday, November 4, at 7 p.m. in an NCAC Tournament semifinal matchup at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium.