Despite entering the NCAC Tournament with hopes to win the program’s first postseason conference title since 2019, the Kenyon men’s soccer team fell short in its semifinal match against Denison University on Nov. 7. The 2-1 loss cements the end of the Owls’ NCAC season as they pivot and look ahead to their NCAA Tournament appearance tomorrow.
The game against Denison marked the first time that Kenyon had not hosted the first round of the NCAC Tournament since 2012, but the Owls flew out of the gate, dominating possession for the first 20 minutes of the game. Kenyon recorded the first five shots of the game, but the Big Red defense rejected them all. The momentum began to shift in the 32nd minute when Denison took its first and only corner of the game. Kenyon cleared the ball out of the box, but not far enough, as it ended up at the feet of a Denison forward, who blasted it from the edge of the box past the diving Owls’ goalkeeper Jack Pedreschi ’25. The Big Red went on to hold the possession and lead for the rest of the half, despite Kenyon outshooting them 8-4.
Then, just nine minutes into the second half, Denison doubled its lead off a cross that was headed into the bottom-left corner past the outstretched hands of Pedreschi. In need of a comeback, the Owls went on the offensive again, and just six minutes later, they finally got on the board. A quick pass from Victor Bravo III ’25 allowed Eamon Dujakovic ’25 to break through the Denison back line and slot the ball into the bottom-left corner. The Owls continued to rally hard, applying pressure for the rest of the match, and not allowing Denison to record a single shot in the last 34 minutes of play. The Owls’ best chance at an equalizer came in the 79th minute, when Justin Buchwalter ’28 fired a shot from well outside the box that curved over the keeper but unfortunately ricocheted off the crossbar. Despite the 2-1 scoreline, the Owls led the match in shots 12-7 and corners 4-1.
On Wednesday, the NCAC announced that Dujakovich, Buchwalter and Matt Nguyen ’25 won first team all-NCAC honors, with Gerardo Martinez ’25 getting second team and Gabriel Romanenko ’28 and Pedreschi earning third team. Additionally, Buchwalter won NCAC Newcomer of the Year — the first time that an Owl has won the award since Martinez in 2021.
Despite failing to reach the conference tournament final for the first time in 12 years, the Owls learned on Monday that their season will continue, as they will host a four-team regional for the NCAA tournament this weekend. Kenyon is set to play Spalding University (Ky.) on Friday at 11 a.m. If they defeat the Eagles on Friday, the Owls will move on to play the winner of Calvin University (Mich.) and Hamilton College (N.Y.).