Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 3, Denison 0
Sophomore midfielder Tiffany Trinh (Dublin/Scioto) put Ohio Wesleyan on the scoreboard midway through the first half to start the Bishops on the way to a North Coast Athletic Conference win over Denison on Saturday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex.
The win, combined with Wittenberg's 2-0 win over Hiram, results in a tie for the NCAC championship between Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg, each with a 5-1-1 record. The conference title is the first for Ohio Wesleyan since 2011, when the Bishops shared the conference crown with Allegheny.
Wittenberg won a tiebreaker and will be the No. 1 seed in next week's NCAC tournament, while Ohio Wesleyan wil be the No. 2 seed. The Bishops will play third-seeded DePauw at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex in one semifinal, while Wittenberg will take on fourth-seeded Denison in Thursday's other semifinal.
Fortune smiled upon the Bishops in the 22nd minute. An Ohio Wesleyan cross intended for the front of the goal was deflected by a Denison defender, arching the ball into the penalty area and allowing Trinh a one-time shot that put the Bishops ahead to stay.
Senior forward Ali Claus (Milford) increased the lead with a heads-up play late in the first half. Claus intercepted a back pass intended for Big Red goalkeeper Molly Noga and rolled a shot just inside the left post with 4:18 remaining in the period.
Ohio Wesleyan made it 3-0 in the opening minutes of the second half as sophomore midfielder Athena Kolettis (Northfield/Nordonia) crossed the ball from the right end line to the left side, where sophomore midfielder Paige Neal (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual) finished the chance at the 47:55 mark.
Less than a minute later, sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Ryan (Beavercreek/Dayton Carroll) denied a shot by Denison's Kendall Sierens to preserve the shutout, and the Bishop defense allowed only 1 shot on goal during the remainder of the contest.
Ohio Wesleyan outshot Denison, 13-12. Ryan finished with 6 saves in posting the shutout.
Box Score
