The College of Wooster closed within three of KenyonKenyon College three times late in the second half, but couldn't get any closer as the host Ladies secured a 20-14 victory Saturday in Gambier, Ohio, and forged a tie for first-place in the North Coast Athletic Conference women's lacrosse standings.

It was the final regular season game for the top-two teams in the conference, which means by virtue of the head-to-head victory, Kenyon (13-1, 5-1 NCAC) will be the host and No. 1 seed for next week's NCAC Tournament and Wooster (10-3, 5-1 NCAC) settles for the second seed.

On Saturday, the Scots were ultimately done in by the Ladies' eight-goal run early in the second half. Trailing 7-6 at the break, scores by Nina Dine and Madison Carey put Wooster ahead for the first time since the 19-minute mark of the first stanza. Then, Kenyon exploded for those eight in a row, including a stretch of six in just 3:26.

Down 15-8 just before the midway point of the half, Wooster steadily crept back in it. The Scots netted four straight to pull within three the first time at 15-12, still with 11:20 left. The teams then exchanged scores a couple of times, as Wooster remained within three at 16-13 and 17-14 before the Ladies sealed it with three unanswered.

The offensive showdown featured six goals from Dine, while Carey, Amy Denny, and Emily Meyer tossed in two apiece in the setback.

Kenyon countered with a record-setting effort from Leah Sack, who tied an NCAC single-game mark with nine assists. Many of those were to Emily Nichols, who scored eight goals on eight shots.

Before a possible rematch, the Scots will have to get past third-seeded Allegheny College (8-7) in the semifinals. That game is slated for Friday, April 30, at 5 p.m., at Kenyon.