GRANVILLE, Ohio -- The Kenyon College field hockey team opened its North Coast Athletic Conference slate on the road against Denison University (5-3, 1-0 NCAC), falling 2-0 just 11 days after besting Denison 1-0 in a non-conference contest.

The first quarter was a defensive battle as neither team registered an offensive statistic, with each team going 15 minutes without registering a shot attempt or a penalty corner. Things changed in quarter two as Denison took a shot 51 seconds in, and Kenyon earned two penalty corners and slapped three shots in quick succession just a few minutes later. However, Denison keeper Athena Joannou secured a few saves to keep the game scoreless.

After the early offensive outburst, the defenses clamped down again and the score stayed stuck at 0-0 through 30 minutes. Kenyon's Lydia Turk, a senior, finished the first half with two shots, both on goal, notching half of the game's first-half attempts.

The offense saw an uptick in the third quarter as Kenyon took four shots and Denison took one, and it was the home team that got on the board first after 41 minutes of play. Denison earned a penalty corner in the 41st minute and made the most of the opportunity, scoring off of the look after putting a ball between the legs and past Kenyon's Payton Doan.

Denison doubled down just over two and a half minutes later, earning another penalty corner and sending a shot into the goal to go ahead 2-0 at the 42:42 mark. The Owls were down a defender after having a player leave early on the penalty corner, and the deficit hurt the visitors. The goal forced the Owls to make a change in goal, subbing in sophomore Megan Lydon before the start of the fourth period.

After the Owls outshot Denison 7-3 through three quarters, the home team stayed on the offensive with a 3-0 fourth-quarter shot advantage. Lydon secured two saves in the final period, but the Owls' offense could not muster up a comeback, falling 2-0 after 60 minutes.

Up next, Kenyon (5-4, 0-1 NCAC) heads home to host a pair of NCAC foes on back-to-back days. The Owls welcome DePauw University (4-4, 0-0 NCAC) to Gambier, Ohio, on Saturday, Oct. 8, at noon before playing Earlham College (0-10, 0-0 NCAC) at noon on Sunday, Oct. 9, on The Field at Benson Bowl.