Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 9, Denison 8

Freshman midfielder Luke Leyden (Northfield, Mass./Northfield Mt. Hermon) scored with :33 left in the first overtime period to give third-ranked Ohio Wesleyan a win over 18th-ranked Denison in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament championship game on Saturday at Selby Stadium.

With the win, Ohio Wesleyan receives the NCAC's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 6.  The win also was the Bishops' 16th in a row, tying the school record set by the 1985 team, which also won its first 16 games of the season.

Leyden intercepted a Denison clearing pass and broke in alone on Big Red keeper Clark Bullington, and found the back of the net to give the Bishops the win.

Denison had sent the game into overtime with a man-up goal with :32 left in regulation time.  Sophomore defenseman Jordan Carlson (Delaware/Hayes) was whistled for unnecessary roughness with exactly 1:00 to play, and the Big Red took advantage of the opportunity when Blair Farinholt found James Meager for the tying goal.

The Big Red won the ensuing face-off and called timeout with :10 left, but Farinholt's shot was stopped by senior Ryan McMahon (Springfield, Va./The Bullis School), sending the game into overtime.

Denison took an early lead on Jamie McCahan's goal at the 13:24 mark of the first quarter, but Ohio Wesleyan responded with the next 3 goals, getting scores by senior attacker John Umbach (Montclair, N.J.), sophomore midfielder Derek Todd (Edina, Minn.), and senior midfielder Kyle Foster (Medfield, Mass./Avon Old Farms (Conn.)) to take a 3-1 lead.

After the teams traded goals twice, the Big Red closed to within 5-4 on Will Donohue's man-up goal with 4:54 left in the first half.

Junior attacker Marcus Dietz (Westerville/St. Francis DeSales) opened the second-half scoring with a goal less than a minute into the third quarter, but Denison came back to tie the game on goals by Farinholt and Donohue.

Senior midfielder Brendan Bouchard (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) gave the Bishops a 7-6 lead late in the period, but the Big Red pulled even on Farinholt's goal with :14 to play in the quarter.

Senior attacker Tommy Minkler (Oakton, Va./Landon School) scored off a Foster pass for an 8-7 Ohio Wesleyan lead with 11:06 left in the fourth quarter, and the Bishops held that lead until the final minute of regulation time.

Foster had 2 goals and an assist for Ohio Wesleyan, while Bouchard scored twice.  McMahon finished with 10 saves in the Bishop crease.

Farinholt compiled 3 goals and 3 assists for Denison.  Bullington stopped 7 shots in the Denison goal.

Bouchard, senior midfielder Sam Gioseffi (Harrison, N.Y.), McMahon, and Umbach represented the Bishops on the all-tournament team.

Box Score