GRANVILLE, Ohio – The Kenyon College women's lacrosse team ran into a surging rival Saturday afternoon as No. 9 Denison University powered past the Owls, 21-3, in a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium.
With the result, Kenyon slipped to 5-7 overall and 1-2 in NCAC play, while the Big Red continued their torrid run through the season, stretching their winning streak to eight games and improving to 11-1 overall and 3-0 in conference action.
Denison wasted little time asserting control of the clash. After securing the opening draw, the Big Red quickly pushed into attacking territory and opened the scoring when Bridget Sheehy found the back of the net just over a minute into play. Moments later, Sophie Davenport doubled the lead, igniting a relentless first-quarter barrage that saw the hosts rattle off nine unanswered goals.
Closing the opening frame was Finlay Harmon and Mary Martinson as each of them added tallies during the surge, while Emersen Thompson and Josie Pruss joined the scoring parade as the Big Red sprinted out to a commanding 9-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Kenyon continued to battle in the second period, generating several promising offensive looks. After Denison added two more goals to extend the margin to 11, the Owls finally cracked the scoreboard when
Ashley Quinn sliced through the defense and buried an unassisted strike with 2:37 remaining before halftime, trimming the deficit to 11-1 heading into the break.
Denison resumed their offensive onslaught in the third quarter, piling on six more goals to widen the gap. Davenport, Martinson, and Thompson each contributed during the run, as Denison continued to dictate the pace. By the end of the period, the hosts had stretched the lead to 17-1.
Kenyon showed resilience in the final stanza, finding a pair of late goals despite the deficit.
Ella Rigoli converted a free-position opportunity early in the fourth quarter, and
Lily Mason later capped the scoring for the Owls with a goal in the closing minutes after taking a feed from
Delaney Champeau. Denison, however, continued to apply pressure down the stretch, adding four fourth-quarter goals to seal the 21-3 decision in front of a home crowd of 261 spectators.
For Kenyon, Quinn, Rigoli, and Mason each recorded a goal in the contest, while Champeau chipped in the team's lone assist. Mason also contributed two draw controls and fired five shots to lead the Owls' attacking efforts. Defensively,
Susannah Zimmerman collected a team-high three ground balls, while
Emma Sage added two ground balls and a caused turnover.
In the cage,
Meagan Lacombe recorded six saves across 45 minutes of action before
Persia Shipman stepped in during the fourth quarter and added two stops. As a team, Kenyon finished with 21 shots, eight of them on target and nine draw controls, while Denison controlled the tempo with 37 shots, 27 on target and 17 draw controls.
Up next, the Owls will travel to University Heights, Ohio, to face conference newcomer John Carroll University on Wednesday, April 15, with first draw set for 6:00 p.m.
