Wooster Upends No. 12 Ranked Denison, Sneaks Into NCAC Tournament

The College of Wooster not only went on the road and knocked off No. 12 ranked Denison University 2-1 in the women's soccer teams' regular season finale Saturday afternoon, but snuck into next week's four-team North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament after receiving some help from its friends at Earlham College.

Going into Saturday's action, Wooster sat in fifth-place, needing to win its game and for either Allegheny College or Ohio Wesleyan University to lose, both of which were playing teams in the lower half of the standings. Low and behold, though, after finishing off the Big Red, the Fighting Scots learned that Earlham surprised Ohio Wesleyan by a 2-1 count, catapulting them into the NCAC tourney.

Wooster (13-5, 5-3 NCAC), now on a four-game win streak, set the tone early Saturday. Just 2:24 into the action, Kate Kiley settled a pass from Taryn Higgins and blasted it past the Denison 'keeper for her eighth goal of the year. It remained 1-0 through halftime.

Liz Mott extended the lead when she made some individual moves through the Big Red defense and sent a shot into the right corner during the 65th minute. It marked the ninth goal this season for the Scots' other high-scoring forward.

Denison (14-3-1, 7-1-0 NCAC) did not cut the game to a one-goal margin until the 86th minute, and Wooster hung on, giving its six-member senior class a 2-1-1 advantage in games against the  perennial-power Big Red.

Providing a boost for the Scots was senior goalie Sara Flannelly. Making just the fourth start of her career, and second this fall, Flannelly held up well with three saves against the NCAC's second-highest scoring team.

Ironically, Wooster will have to go right back to Denison on Wednesday night, as the two squads are matched up in the NCAC tourney's semifinal round.