CLEVELAND, OH - The DePauw Tigers (10-4-6) claimed their third North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament title with a 4-1 advantage in penalty kicks after tying Denison (12-1-6) 1-1 on Saturday, November 10, in Granville, Ohio. As NCAC tournament champions, the Tigers earned the NCAC's automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.
 
DePauw will be joined on the national stage by Denison, Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan, marking the fifth-consecutive and 27th time overall that the North Coast has been represented in the field by more than one team. It is also the 10th time that the NCAC has sent three or more teams to the NCAA men’s soccer postseason and the first time since 1992 that the conference had four teams competing on the national stage. DePauw will be making its 13th overall appearance in the tournament, and first since 2016. Denison makes its 12th overall appearance on the national stage; Kenyon makes its 11th-straight and 20th overall trip to the postseason and Ohio Wesleyan registers its fifth-consecutive and NCAA-record 45th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament after all three team’s received at-large bids.


DePauw will head to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, taking on Hope (13-2-3) on Friday, November 15, at 4:30 p.m. The Flying Dutchmen earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament and are making their 15th NCAA postseason appearance overall, and first since 2019. This will be the 14th overall meeting on the pitch for DePauw and Hope, with their last meeting ending in a 2-2 tie earlier this season on Sept. 25. The winner of the Tigers/Flying Dutchmen matchup will move on to play Saturday, November 16, at 2:00 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between host Wis.-Eau Claire (15-1-4) and Lake Forest (10-7-3).
 
Led by second-year head coach Steven McCarthy, DePauw has had strong offensive performances this season from junior Sebastian Leon (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township), sophomores Braden Murphey (South Bend, IN/Penn), Matthew Fogo (Lexington, VA/Rossall School (England)) and AJ Hockstok (Westerville, OH/Westerville Central) and first-year Harrison Engel (St. Louis, MO/MICDS). Murphey has a team-leading 17 points (8 goals, 1 assist), while Fogo (5 goals, 1 assist) and Hockstok (3 goals, 5 assists) have 11 points apiece and Engle and Leon have each netted four goals. On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore goalkeeper Sam Ortner (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East) has logged 1646:33 minutes between the pipes, making 50 saves and allowing just 18 goals for a 0.98 goals-against average.
 
Denison will host a four-team regional and begin the tournament with a first-round matchup with Anderson (IN) (8-7-5) at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16. The Ravens earned the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) automatic bid into the NCAA tournament and are making their first NCAA postseason appearance overall. This will be the first meeting of Denison and Anderson since 2007, fifth overall, when the Big Red earned a 4-0 regular season win over the Ravens. The winner of the Denison/Anderson matchup will move on to play Sunday, November 17, at 3:00 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between Ohio Northern (13-3-4) and Franciscan (13-1-5).
 
Led by fifth-year head coach Brandon Bianco, Denison has had strong offensive performances this season from senior Jake Krueger (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township), juniors Zarius Eusebe (Wilton, CT/Wilton), Phil Koutsaftis (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) and Kameron Kist (New Albany, OH/New Albany) and sophomore Eli Taylor (Henrico, VA/St. Christopher's School). Krueger has tallied a team-leading 30 points and 13 goals to go along with four assists. Eusebe and Taylor have both posted four goals, while Eusebe has also dished two assists. Koutsaftis has recorded nine points off three goals and three assists, while Kist has collected a team-high five assists. On the defensive side of the ball, senior goalkeeper Tommy Prokos (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) has logged 1538:22 minutes between the posts, making 48 saves and allowing only eight goals for a minuscule 0.47 goals-against average.
 
Kenyon will also host a four-team regional and begin the tournament with a first-round matchup with Spalding (11-7-2) at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 15. The Golden Eagles earned the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after capturing a 2-1 victory over Webster and are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance. This will be the first meeting for Kenyon and Spalding since 2022, fifth overall, when the Owls earned an 8-2 regular season win over the Golden Eagles. The winner of the Kenyon/Spalding matchup will move on to play Saturday, November 16, at 1:00 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between Hamilton (7-6-3) and Calvin (14-5-2).
 
The Owls, led by second-year head coach Travis Wall, have had strong offensive performances this season from seniors Victor Bravo III (Essex, MD/Archbishop Curley), Eamon Dujakovich (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West), Alem Duratovic (Deerfield, IL/Adlai E. Stevenson), Jacob Lazarus (Kingston, Jamaica/Suffield Academy (CT) and Gerardo Martinez (Houston, TX/J. Frank Dobie). Duratovic leads the Owls with 18 points this season, supplying eight goals and two assists, while Dujakovich and Lazarus have each netted five goals, with Dujakovich also dishing one assist. Martinez has tallied three goals, while he and Bravo have posted five assists apiece. In goal, senior keeper Jack Pedreschi (Shirley, MA/Groton School) has made 42 saves, allowing 18 goals for a 1.10 goals-against average.
 
Ohio Wesleyan will head to Fredericksburg, Virginia, for the first round of the NCAA Tournament and will take on Catholic (10-5-5) on Saturday, November 16, at 1:30 p.m. The Cardinals earned the Landmark Conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after capturing a 2-1 victory over Juniata and are making their fifth-consecutive and ninth overall NCAA Tournament appearance. This will be the second meeting on the soccer pitch for Ohio Wesleyan and Catholic and first since 2010 when the Battling Bishops earned a 2-1 win in the first round of the national tournament. The winner of the OWU/Catholic game will move on to play Sunday, November 17, at 1:00 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between host Mary Washington (17-1-2) and William Peace (9-6-3).
 
The Battling Bishops, led by veteran-year head coach Jay Martin, have relied on seniors Jaggar Brooker (Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty) and Franklin Rodriguez (Santiago, Dominican Republic/Berkshire (MA)) and juniors Christopher Guerra (Columbus, OH/Worthington Kilbourne) and Gabe O’Reilly (Westerville, OH/Columbus St. Charles) for scoring opportunities. Brooker tallied a team-high 28 points and 12 assists, to go along with eight goals, while Rodriguez has netted a team-best nine goals with four assists for 22 points. Guerra owns seven goals and three assists, while O’Reilly has posted three goals and four assists. Between the posts, junior goalkeeper Sam Whitman (Baltimore, MD/Friends School of Baltimore) has made 66 saves and allowed 16 goals for a 0.93 goals-against average in 1548:26 minutes.