GAMBIER, Ohio – Kenyon College junior Maddie Breschi fired in a goal from the top of the circle Saturday and propelled the Ladies field hockey team to a 1-0 win over Denison University in the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament. The tournament title was the Ladies' third since the format was instituted in the 2002 season.

After a back-and-forth first half that didn't see much action near either goal line, the Ladies broke through early in the second half. One minute and 36 seconds into the second stanza, Kenyon earned a penalty corner, which was one of just three in the game for the Ladies. Senior Rachel Hall inbounded the ball to Breschi, who loaded up and sent a laser through traffic and into the back of the Denison cage. It was Breschi's team-best 14th goal of the season and Hall's team-best ninth assist.

At the other end of the field, the Ladies' defense was stellar, allowing just four Denison shots. None of those shots were on goal, so freshman goalkeeper Sarah Speroff didn't have to touch the ball to record her fifth shutout of the season. The shutout win was Kenyon's fifth in a row. In those five games, the Ladies outscored their opponents by a combined score of 14-0.      

During the regular season, these two teams split games. Denison won 3-1 at Kenyon and Kenyon won 1-0 at Denison. Saturday's victory moved the Ladies' overall season record to 19-2, setting the program standard for wins in a season. The loss for Denison dropped the Big Red's season record to 13-7.

At the conclusion of the game, the NCAC announced the 2014 All-Tournament Team. Members of the squad included Casey Fry (Wittenberg), Paige Vanerstrom (Wittenberg), Grace Goodbarn (DePauw), Paige Henry (DePauw), Britta Marden (Denison), Molly Chapman (Denison), Alex Berman (Denison), Shannon Hart (Kenyon), Julie Freedman (Kenyon), Rachel Hall (Kenyon), and tournament MVP Maddie Breschi (Kenyon).

Kenyon's victory also comes with the conference's automatic berth into the upcoming NCAA Division III tournament. The NCAA selection committee will unveil the 24-team bracket late Sunday night.