GRANVILLE, OH – After tying 1-1 in regulation and two scoreless overtime periods, fourth-seeded DePauw claimed its third North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament title with a 4-1 penalty kick advantage over second-seeded Denison in the tournament finale on Sunday, Nov. 10, in Granville, Ohio.
As tournament champions, the Tigers earned the NCAC's automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer tournament. DePauw will be making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2016 and 13th overall on the national stage. The entire 64-team field will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 11, at 1:30 p.m. on NCAA.com via the selection show.
#4 DEPAUW (10-4-6) 1, #2 DENISON (12-1-6) 1 (Tigers 4-1 PK advantage)
- Denison controlled the offensive pace for the first 11 minutes of play taking four shots and earning three corner kicks. However, at 14:42 DePauw would send a freekick in that was almost headed into the back of the net by Alec McCarty (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville), before Denison keeper Tommy Prokos (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) went up and corralled the save.
- Denison would take advantage of a corner kick at 19:38 to take a 1-0 lead. The Big Red’s Cameron McIntosh (Worthington, OH/Thomas Worthington) would settle the ball and strike it on frame, causing DePauw goalkeeper Sam Ortner (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East) to leave his feet to make the save off the crossbar. Henri Heyes (New Albany, OH/New Albany) would then head the rebound into the back of the net just past Ortner’s outstretched arms for the first score of the game.
- The Tigers would earn two more corners, while the Big Red would take two more shots as the game remained 1-0 throughout the final 25 minutes of the half. Denison would go into the locker room with an 8-1 shots advantage.
- Just 26 seconds into the second frame, DePauw’s Braden Murphey (South Bend, IN/Penn) belted the ball off the crossbar and as the Denison defense tried to clear it, the ball was kicked into the back of the net for an own goal to even the score at 1-1.
- Both offenses pushed hard with DePauw outshooting Denison 5-3 throughout the remainder of the second half. Neither team would connect on the go-ahead goal, ending regulation tied at one-all.
- Despite Dension starting with the ball in overtime, the DePauw offense was aggressive, earning two corners and a shot within the first three minutes of extra time. The Denison offense responded with four shots in two minutes, causing Orter to make two saves in net. The Tigers would manage one more shot before the first 10-minute overtime period expired.
- Both teams remained scoreless through the second overtime period, forcing the game into penalty kicks.
- DePauw’s AJ Hockstok (Westerville, OH/Westerville Central) would start the round, finding the back of the net for the 1-0 advantage. Denison’s Jake Krueger (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township) would see his shot stopped by Ortner, while Murphey connected to give the Tigers a 2-0 edge. Ortner came up with another stop on McIntosh’s shot, before Emiliano Quintanilla (League City, TX/Clear Springs) would find the back of the net on his try for a 3-0 DePauw advantage. Needing to score to keep Denison in the round, Heyes got his shot past Ortner, to cut the deficit to two, 3-1. DePauw's Sebastian Leon (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) secured the 4-1 advantage and ended the round with a goal.
- In the tie, the Denison offense outshot DePauw 16-9 overall, while also putting six shots on frame compared to the Tigers three. Denison goalkeeper Prokos made three saves, while Ortner made five.
- The NCAC All-Tournament team was also revealed at the conclusion of the tournament. Twelve members from Denison, DePauw, Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan made up the squad. DePauw’s Ortner was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
2024 NCAC Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team
Eamon Dujakovic, Kenyon
Victor Bravo, Kenyon
Sam Whitman, Ohio Wesleyan
Franklin Rodriguez, Ohio Wesleyan
Tommy Prokos, Denison
Henri Heyes, Denison
Justin Crow, Denison
Alec McCarty, DePauw
Ethan Webster, DePauw
Harrison Engel, DePauw
Julian Bell, DePauw
MVP - Sam Ortner, DePauw