GAMBIER, Ohio – The past three seasons have seen either Kenyon College or DePauw University claim the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament title for field hockey. Things won't change this season as the same two teams square off Saturday for the 2015 title and the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Kenyon enters the championship game, which will take place on McBride Field beginning at 2:30 p.m., as the conference tournament's No. 1 seed. The Ladies own a 17-2 overall record and they defeated Wittenberg University, 1-0, in Wednesday's semifinal game. DePauw, owner of a 14-4 record, is the tournament's No. 2 seed and got to this point by knocking off Denison University, 2-1, in the conference's other semifinal game.

DePauw won the conference tournament in 2012 and 2013, defeating Denison and Kenyon, respectively. Kenyon won the title last season, finishing off Denison in the finale. Prior to that, Kenyon claimed tournament titles in the 2006 and 2007 tournaments.

Kenyon is powered by a defense that is one of the best in the nation. At the start of the week, the Ladies were ranked fourth in goals against average and second in shutouts per game. Defensive starters Kelsey Trulik, Paige Beyer and Morgen Barroso have a lot to do with those ranks, and so does sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Speroff. She has 71 saves this season, a .855 saves percentage that ranks seventh in the nation and a total of 12 shutouts, a mark that tied the program's single-season record.

On the offensive end, the Ladies average 19.3 shots and 3.0 goals per game. Two-time senior All-American midfielder Maddie Breschi leads the way with 16 goals, 7 assists and 39 points. She's also Kenyon's career record-holder for goals (52), assists (27) and points (131). Sophomores Shannon Hart, Katelyn Hutchinson and Weezie Foster follow up with 11, 9 and 6 goals, respectively. Hutchinson logged the lone goal in the Ladies' semifinal win over Wittenberg.

DePauw will try to chip away at the strong Kenyon defense with an attack led by sophomore forward Paige Berliner. She leads the entire conference in goals (18) and points (46). She also has 10 assists and ranks 17th in the nation with an average of 2.56 points per game. Backing up Berliner are sophomore Reilly Bruce, freshman Corina Bourantas and senior Grace Goodbarn. Bruce has scored 15 times this season, while Bourantas has eight goals and Goodbarn has six for a Tigers offense that averages 19.4 shots and 3.8 goals per game. 

Defensively, the Tigers have allowed 27 goals in 18 games, producing a 1.41 goals against average. Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Guendert has started all 18 games for DePauw, has 86 saves, a .768 save percentage and one shutout.

During the regular season, DePauw and Kenyon split conference contests. Kenyon won at home, 1-0, in September and then lost on the road, 3-0, in October. Freshman Abby Roswell scored the lone goal in Kenyon's win, while Berliner fired in two goals during the Tigers' victory.

Live stats and live video will be provided for the tournament final. As mandated by the NCAC, ticket prices for the contest are $5 for adults and $3 for children (18 and under). Admission is free for any student enrolled at an NCAC institution who presents a valid school ID at the gate.