Denison & DePauw Claim Spots in NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The DePauw Tigers (12-2-5) claimed their fourth North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament title with a 3-1 win over Denison (9-5-5) on Saturday, November 8, in Greencastle, Indiana. As NCAC tournament champions, the Tigers earned the NCAC's automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.
 
DePauw will be joined on the national stage by Denison marking the sixth-consecutive and 28th time overall that the North Coast has been represented in the field by more than one team. The TIgers will be making their 14th overall appearance in the tournament, while the Big Red make their 13th overall appearance on the national stage after receiving an at-large bid.

The DePauw Tigers will head to Whitewater, Wisconsin, for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, taking on No. 3 UChicago (11-2-5) on Saturday, November 15, at 2:00 p.m. The Maroons, who won the 2022 national championship title, earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament and are making their 15th NCAA postseason appearance overall. This will be the sixth overall meeting on the pitch for DePauw and UChicago, with the Maroons collecting a 1-0 win in their last meeting on Sept. 9, 2022. The winner of the DePauw/UChicago matchup will move on to play Sunday, November 16, at 4:00 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between host Wis.-Whitewater (14-3-2) and No. 12 WashU (13-3-0).
 
Led by third-year head coach Steven McCarthy, DePauw has had strong offensive performances this season from senior Sebastian Leon (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township), junior Braden Murphey (South Bend, IN/Penn) and sophomores Julian Bell (Carmel, IN/Brebeuf Jesuit) and Roman Girandola (Cincinnati, OH/Walnut Hills). Leon has a team-leading 15 points (6 goals, 3 assists), while Murphey has 13 points (5G, 3A) and Bell (5G, 1A) and Girandola (4G, 3A) have 11 points apiece. On the defensive side of the ball, junior goalkeeper Sam Ortner (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East) has logged 1575 minutes between the pipes, making 50 saves and allowing just 19 goals for a 1.09 goals-against average.
 
Denison will travel to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, taking on Washington & Lee (11-4-5) on Saturday, November 15, at 3:30 p.m. The Generals earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament and are making their 10th-consecutive and 11th overall NCAA postseason appearance. This will be the sixth overall meeting on the pitch for the Big Red and Generals, with their last meeting ending in a 0-0 draw on Aug. 30, 2013. The winner of the Denison/W&L matchup will move on to play Sunday, November 16, at 3:00 p.m. against the winner of the first-round game between host Dickinson (13-0-7) and NC Wesleyan (9-8-2).
 
Led by sixth-year head coach Brandon Bianco, Denison has had strong offensive performances this season from seniors Kameron Kist (New Albany, OH/New Albany) and Phil Koutsaftis (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck), junior Eli Taylor (Henrico, VA/St. Christopher's School) and sophomore Kaden Kist (New Albany, OH/New Albany). Kameron Kist has tallied a team-leading 24 points and nine goals to go along with six assists, while Taylor (6 goals, 2 assists) and Koutsaftis (4G, 6A) have both tallied 14 points and Kaden Kist leads the Big Red with eight assists. On the defensive side of the ball, first-year goalkeeper Alex Provost (Glen Ridge, NJ/Montclair Kimberley Academy) has logged 1599:03 minutes between the posts, making 45 saves and allowing only 12 goals for a minuscule 0.68 goals-against average.

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