GAMBIER – The Kenyon College women’s soccer team earned a win over rival Denison University (4-8-4, 3-1-2 NCAC), securing a 2-0 shutout on their home turf.
The win propelled the Owls to the top of the North Coast Athletic Conference standings and gave Kenyon the inside track for a regular-season championship.
Denison kept the ball in Kenyon’s half in the early going, but the Owls faced no threats after thwarting a corner kick. Conversely, Kenyon’s first foray into Denison territory paid dividends. Sophomore Eun Hae Lillig dribbled down the right side and into Big Red’s box, where she sliced a ball across the face of the net, over the keeper’s head and into the far left side of the goal. The early score put the home team ahead 1-0 in the 8th minute.
A run from Lillig led to Kenyon’s second goal in the 27th minute. The midfielder was breaking away before getting taken down by a Denison defender, earning a free kick from 35 yards out. Sophomore Morgan Baker handled the free kick duties and sent a ball deep into the Denison box. From there, Sadie Gould, a senior, corralled the ball, moved to get an opening and converted a goal that doubled the Owls’ lead.
The second 45 minutes were tense as it felt like Denison was in control based on possession of the ball, but the pressure was firmly on Big Red’s shoulders. The reigning NCAC champions were staring down their first conference loss of the season, and, despite desperate pushes, the Owls ended Denison’s attacks again and again.
With the victory, the Owls improve to 6-5-4 and sit atop the NCAC with a 4-1-1 conference mark. Kenyon’s three-game winning streak, all shutouts, put the Owls in control of their destiny, as one more win would clinch the NCAC regular-season title.
