CLEVELAND, OH – The top two seeds prevailed in the semifinal round of the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament. No. 1 DePauw captured a 3-2 victory over No. 4 Kenyon, while No. 2 Denison collected a 2-1 win over No. 3 Wooster in overtime. The Tigers will host the Big Red in Saturday's tournament title game at 3:00 p.m. in Greencastle, Indiana.
#1 DEPAUW (11-2-5) 3, #4 KENYON (7-4-7) 2
- DePauw opened the scoring less than one minute into the match when sophomore Julian Bell (Carmel, IN/Brebeuf Jesuit) finished a pass from junior Braden Murphey (South Bend, IN/Penn) to put the Tigers ahead 1-0.
- Kenyon responded in the 14th minute as first-year Jack Commandeur (Cincinnati, OH/Western Reserve Academy) scored off a setup from senior Isaac Cortez (Houston, TX/J. Frank Dobie) to even the match at 1-1.
- The Owls took a 2-1 lead in the 36th minute after sophomore Emmett Brown (Minneapolis, MN/Washburn) found the back of the net on an unassisted strike.
- DePauw junior Matthew Fogo (Lexington, VA/Rossall School (England)) answered two minutes later, converting a penalty kick in the 38th minute, which sent the match into halftime deadlocked at 2-2.
- The Tigers reclaimed the lead in the 65th minute as senior Sebastian Leon (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) scored the eventual game-winner off a pass from sophomore Harrison Engel (St. Louis, MO/MICDS), giving DePauw a 3-2 advantage.
- Kenyon held an 11-8 edge in shots, while DePauw placed five of its eight attempts on frame. DePauw junior goalkeeper Sam Ortner (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East) made one save in the win.
#2 DENISON (14-1-3) 2, #3 WOOSTER (11-2-6) 1 (OT)
- Wooster struck early, taking a 1-0 lead after junior Robert Hillhouse (Durham, NC/Durham Academy) finished a cross from classmate Griffin Thornton (Columbus, OH/Worthington Kilbourne) at the 3:23 mark. The Fighting Scots held the one-goal lead throughout the remainder of the first frame.
- Denison pushed for an equalizer throughout the second half, outshooting Wooster 13-3 and earning four corners over the final 45 minutes. The breakthrough finally came in the 88th minute when sophomore Colin MacDonald (Oakwood, OH/Oakwood) connected on a pass from classmate Kaden Kist (New Albany, OH/New Albany) to tie the game at 1-1 and force overtime.
- The Big Red continued to control offensive possession and capitalized in the 97th minute as senior Phil Koutsaftis (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) buried the golden goal at 96:06 to send Denison to the tournament final.
- Denison finished with a 20-8 shot advantage and an 8-5 edge in corner kicks. Wooster was efficient with its chances, placing four of its eight shots on goal, while Denison generated seven of its 20 shots on target. Big Red first-year goalkeeper Alex Provost (Glen Ridge, NJ/Montclair Kimberley Academy) made three saves in the win.