Denison Field Hockey Ends Season in NCAA Tournament

BALTIMORE, MD – Denison (16-3) fell 2-0 to No. 8-ranked Johns Hopkins (17-4) in the first round of the NCAA Division III field hockey tournament on Wednesday, November 11.
 
Denison entered the NCAA tournament after earning the 2026 North Coast Athletic Conference crown and securing the conference tournament championship. The Big Red cap their 2026 campaign with a 16-3 record and a perfect 10-0 mark in league play. Johns Hopkins will advance to the second round to take on Stevenson (18-2) on Saturday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. in Medford, Massachusetts. 
 
#8 JOHNS HOPKINS (17-4) 2, DENISON (16-3) 0
  • Denison opened its NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at Johns Hopkins by absorbing an early wave of pressure at Homewood Field in Baltimore. Denison junior goalkeeper Therese Lucian (Mickleton, NJ/Tower Hill School (DE)) was tested early and often, turning away five shots in the opening quarter as the Blue Jays fired 10 attempts and earned two penalty corners. The Big Red generated their first look of the game when sophomore Lulu Keil (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) put a shot on frame that was saved by Aubrey Kilgore. Johns Hopkins broke through with 2:27 left in the quarter when Sarah Chilton converted a penalty stroke for her 14th goal of the season, and the Blue Jays carried a 1-0 lead into the second quarter.
  • Denison’s defense held strong in the second quarter, keeping the game within reach despite three Johns Hopkins penalty corners in the frame. Lucian came up with three more saves, including back-to-back stops on Caeli Robinson just 16 seconds apart. The Big Red limited the Blue Jays to three shots in the period and went into halftime trailing by just one goal, 1-0.
  • Johns Hopkins extended its lead early in the third quarter when Catherine D’Arcy finished off a penalty corner feed from Ava Zimmerman at the 12:50 mark to make it 2-0. Denison responded with its best stretch of offense of the afternoon, as Keil fired a shot on goal that was saved by Jessica Lapidus and then earned the Big Red’s only penalty corner of the game moments later. Lucian kept Denison in the game with three saves in the quarter, and the Big Red caught a break when a Chilton shot rang off the post.
  • Denison continued to fight in the final quarter as Johns Hopkins pushed for an insurance goal with nine shots and three penalty corners. Lucian turned away three more attempts, and the Big Red’s field players stepped up in front of the cage, with sophomore Carter Davis (Chevy Chase, MD/Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart) and first-year Avery Painter (Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Catholic) each recording a defensive save to keep the deficit at two. Denison was unable to generate a shot in the period, however, and the Blue Jays held on for a 2-0 win.
  • Lucian highlighted the Big Red with 14 saves as Johns Hopkins outshot Denison 28-2, while Keil accounted for both of Denison’s shots, each on goal.

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