GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College field hockey team celebrated Senior Day in style, earning a commanding shutout win against The College of Wooster to preserve a shot at a postseason berth in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament. The Owls, who honored five seniors before the game, secured a 5-0 win over the Fighting Scots (6-11, 1-5 NCAC) to improve to 8-7 (3-4 NCAC) in their final home match.

In fitting fashion on Senior Day, Kenyon senior Carolyn Herbosa gave the Owls an early lead. After Kenyon earned a penalty corner in the 12th minute, the ball found its way to Herbosa at the top of the circle, and she put the home team ahead 1-0 after three and a half first-quarter minutes.

The Owls flipped the field quickly in the 11th minute after a solid defensive stand. After Wooster forced Kenyon to retreat into their defensive half of the field, the Owls broke away after a clearance bounced over a Wooster and found a streaking Ella Haskins. Haskins raced along the right sideline and pushed deep into the Fighting Scots' territory before crossing a perfect pass to Kiersten Hoffmann, who doubled Kenyon's lead to 2-0.

The Fighting Scots threatened with a pair of penalty corners and shots late in the opening period, but Payton Doan, a senior goalkeeper, made a save, and the Owls' defense held firm.

Hoffmann narrowly missed a second goal early in the second quarter. The sophomore had the ball in front of Wooster's goal after a Kenyon attack, but her shot had a little too much on it as the ball sailed just high, hitting the crossbar and bouncing away.

Another senior scorer added Kenyon's next goal in the 22nd minute. The Owls earned a penalty corner, and, much like their first goal, launched a hard shot from the top of the circle into the goal. Grace Lane put the wood on this attempt, and the ball bounced off a Wooster defender before nestling in the net to give Kenyon a 3-0 edge that they held through the half.

The Senior Day festivities kept rolling in the second half when Bella Kern, a senior, scored off an assist from Hannah Paprotna, a junior. Kenyon's fourth goal came three minutes into the third quarter after a penalty corner.

Kenyon began emptying the bench and rotating players after taking the 4-0 lead, but the substitutes kept the momentum going. First-year Lana Stone was one of those subs, and she gave the Owls a 5-0 advantage in the 38th minute.

The 5-0 shutout held through 60 minutes as the Owls held Wooster without a shot in the final three frames. Overall, Kenyon outshot the visitors 13-2, including a 7-1 edge in shots on goal, and earned nine penalty corners while conceding two.

While it was the final home game for seniors Lydia Turk, Carolyn Herbosa, Bella Kern, Hannah Hartshorn, and Payton Doan, the Owls still have a shot at making the NCAC Tournament. Kenyon's final NCAC contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, on the road against Oberlin College (4-10, 1-5 NCAC). If the Owls win and Allegheny College (12-4, 3-3 NCAC) loses its final two games, Kenyon will enter the four-team NCAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed.