GAMBIER, Ohio – Winners of four in a row and seven of its last eight contests, the Kenyon College women's soccer team will host the North Coast Athletic Conference championship game for the first time in program history. That championship game will be played Saturday at Mavec Field with a 1 p.m. start time. The Ladies' opponent will be the defending conference champion Allegheny College Gators.

Kenyon is the top seed in the conference's four-team tournament and will enter the final with an 11-7-1 record. The Ladies reached the final by upending the No. 4-seeded Wittenberg University Tigers, 2-0, in Wednesday's semifinal game. Allegheny, the No. 2 seed, defeated Denison University, 4-1, in the other NCAC semifinal and ran its record to 15-5-0. While Kenyon rides a four-game win streak, the Gators come to Gambier with seven straight victories.

The Ladies' appearance in the NCAC finale is the first in the history of the program, however, they have participated in four other NCAC tournaments. The most recent being a 1-0 loss to Ohio Wesleyan University in a 2011 semifinal match-up. The Kenyon women have never played Allegheny in a postseason game despite the Gators' showing in seven NCAC tournament games. Allegheny won a share of last season's NCAC regular-season title and then defeated DePauw University and Wittenberg University to take the conference's 2013 tournament title, as well.

This season, the Gators own the best defense in the NCAC. They lead the league in goals allowed (14), goals against average (0.68), and shutouts (12). Although allowing just 14 goals all season, Allegheny did yield three to the Ladies during a 3-2 regular-season loss on October 4. Maggie Smith, Katie Hoener, and Becca Romaine scored those three goals for Kenyon.

Romaine and Smith have been on quite a tear lately. Together they have accounted for 13 of the Ladies' 14 goals scored over the last seven games. Romaine, the 2013 NCAC Player of the Year, leads the Ladies this season with 15 goals and 33 points. Smith has eight goals, a team-best five assists, and 21 points. Marie Laube and Hoener follow up with two goals apiece.

The Ladies are strong defensively, too. They allowed just 23 goals in 19 games played for a goals against average of 1.17. Junior goalkeeper Alissa Poolpol has made 74 saves in 18 games played. She owns a .771 saves percentage and six shutouts.

Poolpol and the Ladies defense will be tested by Allegheny's top scorers Jessie Thiessen and Hannah Zangara. Thiessen leads the Gators in goals (11), assists (9), and points (31). Zangara backs those numbers with six goals and two assists. Gabby Curtis is the Gators' goalkeeper and she's racked up 11 shutouts and a 0.72 goals against average.

The overall series between these two teams dates back to the 1985 season. Since then, Allegheny has built up a 21-7-4 mark against the Ladies.

Kenyon will provide live stats and live video for the championship game, whose winner earns the NCAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Ticket prices for the contest are $7 for adults and $3 for children (18 and under). Admission is free for any student of an NCAC institution who presents a valid school ID at the gate.