GAMBIER, Ohio -- After finishing the regular season with four consecutive shutout wins, the Kenyon College women's soccer team is set to host the Denison University Big Red in the semifinal round of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The postseason bout is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday on Mavec Field.

The Owls will be hosting the Big Red for the second time in a week, last matching up on Mavec on October 26. Kenyon earned a 2-0 win over Denison, who was atop the NCAC standings at the time, to take control of the conference's top spot. The victory stopped an 0-3-2 skid for the Owls against the Big Red, including a 3-0 loss last season to the eventual 2021 NCAC Champions.

Kenyon's rivals have had the upper hand in the all-time series between the teams. Since their inaugural meeting in 1984, Denison is 32-7-2 against Kenyon. However, Kenyon has kept it closer over the last decade, winning four of 11 matchups and inducing two ties since 2012.

The Owls earned the right to host the NCAC Tournament win after clinching the regular-season title with a 2-0 win over Wittenberg University on Saturday. The conference title is the program's first since 2017 and fourth overall. After starting the season with a 2-4-3 record in non-conference play, the Owls blazed through the NCAC with a 5-1-1 mark. Earning the tournament's top seed ensures that Kenyon will hold a home-field advantage for the four-team conference tournament.

Denison, the No. 4 seed, finished the year with a 5-8-4 mark and went 4-1-2 against NCAC opponents. The Big Red opened their NCAC slate with a 3-0-1 mark that included an 8-0 goal differential, but they lost their hold on the conference lead after going 1-1-1 with a 3-2 goal deficit down the stretch, including the shutout loss to Kenyon last week.

The NCAC Tournament's other semifinal game features a matchup between No. 2-seeded DePauw University and No. 3-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University. That match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Greencastle, Indiana. The winners from each semifinal game will meet in the NCAC Championship on Saturday, November 5, where the highest remaining seed will host the match.

Kenyon's calling card has been a strong defense that pairs with an opportune and timely offense. The Owls have outscored opponents 22-17 overall this season, but the team has posted a 13-2 (+11) goal differential in NCAC play, leading the conference in per-game goals (1.86) and goals against (0.29). Leah Anderson is second in the NCAC with six shutouts, and her .819 save percentage was second in the conference. In NCAC play, Anderson led the conference in save percentage (.943) and tied for the best goals-against mark (.286). Sadie Gould led the Owls' offense with 13 points thanks to six goals and an assist, and her .714 goals per game in conference contests led the NCAC.

Conversely, Denison held an even goal differential over the season, scoring and conceding 18 goals. In conference play, the Big Red outscored opponents 10-3, the NCAC's second-best margin. Denison led the NCAC in shots (135) and shots on goal (57) over the conference slate while finishing tied for third in goals per game (1.43). Defensively, the Big Red were third in goals against average (0.43) and fifth in save percentage (.813) in NCAC competitions.

As mandated by the NCAC, tickets for Tuesday's semifinal game are $7 for adults and $3 for children (18 years of age and under). Any NCAC student with a valid ID from their NCAC institution will be admitted free of charge.