Owls suffer 1-0 loss in tournament final

Denison DEN (12-1-6, 6-0-2)

Kenyon KEN (15-4-0, 7-1-0)

Denison DEN

(12-1-6, 6-0-2)

Final

Nov. 08, 2026

Kenyon KEN

(15-4-0, 7-1-0)

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Denison DEN	1	0	1
Kenyon KEN	0	0	0

Summary
Box Score

David Carley

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | 11/8/2026 4:20:00 PM | Jackson Kenny, Athletics Communications Student Writer

GAMBIER, Ohio -- The stands were packed, the fans were loud, and the stage was set for an electric clash in Sunday's North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament championship game between the No. 1 seed Kenyon College and No. 2 seed Denison University men's soccer teams. The intense, physical battle on Mavec Field ended up 1-0 in favor of Denison, which collected its fifth tournament title in program history.

Despite an impressive regular season that earned them the top seed in the tournament, the Owls still came out and played like they had something to prove. The rivalry between the two squads was apparent throughout the match, as both teams played with an immense amount of grit, resulting in 28 fouls, 10 yellow cards, and two red cards between the two teams.

In the first 45 minutes, Kenyon played quite aggressively on both sides of the ball. The Owls pressed the ball persistently early on, preventing a score for the first 20 minutes of play.

The heart-wrencher came at the 22nd minute for the Owl faithful. That's when Denison's Colin MacDonald squeezed in a goal on the Big Red's first corner kick of the half. Conversely, the Owls were unable to capitalize on any of their eight corner kick opportunities in the first half.

Kenyon did have three shots in the first half. All were on goal and all were saved by Denison goalkeeper Alex Provost, who recorded his second shutout of Kenyon this season.

With Kenyon looking to equalize, the friction that had defined the contest only intensified in the second half. The battle for midfield was the highlight, with neither team securing a clear advantage on offense.

Things got even more difficult for Kenyon when, in the 62nd minute, one of its players was shown a red card, resulting in the Owls playing a man down for the rest of the game. The team, however, did not give up and did not ease up on the attack.

In all, Denison outshot Kenyon 9-6. Kenyon held a 5-3 edge in shots on goal and also a distinct 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.

The loss dropped the Owls' overall record to 15-4, while the win moved Denison to 12-1-6. The win also meant the Big Red captured the NCAC's automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Division III Championship.

Kenyon, which started the day at No. 19 in the latest NPI ranking, will have to wait one more day to find out its fate. The NCAA Selection Show, which will reveal the 64-team bracket for the Championship, will take place Monday at 11 a.m. on NCAA.com.

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