GRANVILLE, Ohio -- The Kenyon College men's lacrosse team could not claim a second straight win over rival Denison University, falling 14-13 in the 2023 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship. The Owls controlled the first half as they looked to break through in a third straight tournament title matchup against the Big Red, but Kenyon could not claim its first NCAC Tournament crown after Denison scored a last-second, game-winning goal.

The contest was a tale of two halves as the momentum flipped from Kenyon to Denison. First-year Gavin Gumucio struck first for the Owls in the opening period. After a Denison equalizer, Kenyon built a 3-1 first-quarter lead behind goals from the team's leading point producers, Jack Giuffre and David Chintala. 

The Owls converted a goal on their first second-quarter possession, but the Big Red bounced back with a couple of quick goals to cut the lead to 4-3. From there, Kenyon dominated the rest of the first half. The Owls outshot the Big Red 8-3 and connected on six attempts. Colin McCarthy started and ended the 6-0 scoring stretch, bookending goals from Rowan Goldin, Giuffre, Rollins Heath, and Chintala.

Kenyon could not have asked for a much better start after compiling a 10-3 halftime lead, but the tide turned completely in the third quarter. Denison outscored Kenyon 6-2 in the frame, cutting the Owls' lead to 12-9. The Big Red only won one more faceoff (5-4) than Kenyon, but an Owls' penalty contributed to Denison's 18-11 shot advantage in the period.

The home team kept rolling in the fourth frame, winning the first two faceoffs, taking 12 of the first 13 shots, and scoring two goals to pull within one at 12-11. Despite the Denison onslaught, Adam Hall came up with six saves to prevent further damage.

However, Kenyon's offense was unable to get anything going, committing four turnovers on their first five possessions. The Big Red's 14th shot of the period tied the game at 12-12 with six and a half minutes left. Denison took its first lead of the game one possession later with a fifth straight goal, outshooting Kenyon 16-1 to start the fourth quarter.

Will Jordan won a faceoff to give the Owls a chance to regain some momentum, and Kenyon orchestrated a four-shot possession, their first offensive traction of the period. After a Denison penalty provided a man-up opportunity, Heath forced a turnover and assisted Joe Boesel on a man-up goal that tied the game at 13-13. 

Neither team could break through over the next three minutes as both goalies came up with crucial saves. The game appeared to be headed to overtime as Kenyon's defense was holding firm. However, the Denison offense found an opening on the right side with just a few ticks on the clock, and Quinn O'Donnell fired a shot past Hall into the upper left corner of the net. The shot put Denison ahead 14-13 with 10 seconds left, and it proved to be the game-winner as Thomas Nelson's last-second shot following a faceoff win was off the mark.

Denison outshot Kenyon 61-40, but Hall and the Kenyon defense came up big to allow just one additional goal. The Owls' first-year goalkeeper finished with a season-high 18 saves and posted a .563 save percentage. 

The Big Red won just one more faceoff (16-15) in the game, but turnovers significantly hurt the Owls. Denison caused 13 of Kenyon's 17 turnovers, while the Owls caused seven of the Big Red's 11. Denison was 19-20 on clear attempts, compared to Kenyon's 18-25 mark.

McCarthy scored a game-high three goals and added an assist to finish with four points. Chintala matched the point total with two goals and two assists. Giuffre, Goldin, and Heath also added two goals, while Boesel tied for the team high with a pair of assists.

After the contest, Giuffre, Hall, McCarthy, and Graham O'Brien earned recognition as NCAC All-Tournament Team performers.

Though Kenyon saw No. 10/13-ranked Denison earn the NCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Owls, ranked No. 23 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's Division III coaches poll and third, one spot above Denison, in the NCAA's Region VI DIII regional rankings, will have a chance to continue their postseason push with an at-large berth. The NCAA announces the 2023 Tournament field on their online selection show starting tonight at 9 p.m.