The Kenyon men’s lacrosse team shook off an early deficit and delivered a composed offensive performance on Saturday to defeat the DePauw University Tigers 10-6 in another NCAC matchup.
On Saturday, DePauw opened the game with urgency, scoring three unanswered goals in the first quarter. Kenyon responded before the end of the period, however, as Tanner Lewis ’27 put the Owls on the board during a man-up opportunity and Gavin Gumucio ’26 followed with a goal to cut the deficit to one. From there, Kenyon began to settle in. The equalizer came midway through the second quarter, when David Chintala ’26 finished off a feed from Henry Powell ’28. Just minutes later, Harrison Curtiss ’28 gave the Owls their first lead of the game, and Luke Riney ’26 added another goal in the final seconds of the half to make it 5-3 heading into the break.
The momentum shift was indicative of the work Kenyon is putting in during practice. “Our goal throughout last week and this whole season is to move the ball quickly and generate good offensive chances,” Powell, who finished with four assists and a goal, wrote in an email to the Collegian. “We’ve been trying to work for easy goals which come from fast ball movement.” Powell also emphasized the depth of the Owls’ success. “We have a lot of really good dodgers on our team,” he wrote. “And it’s important to try and get those guys the ball so they are set up to initiate a lot of our sets.”
That approach became apparent in the second half. Kenyon opened the third quarter with three straight goals from Mike Kapral ’26, Powell and Lewis, who each found the back of the net as the Owls stretched their lead to five.
A key adjustment for the Owls this week came outside of ball control. “Our coaches have been emphasizing better off ball movement to get in better spots to open up scoring opportunities,” Powell said. “When our guys were dodging, it was important for the rest of the offense to work hard to get to good spots to open up skip passes and different lanes.”
That discipline showed up not just in settled possessions, but in transition as well. At times, Kenyon pushed immediately after gaining possession; at others, the Owls slowed things down, working deep into the shot clock.
Lewis led all scorers with four goals, including two in the fourth quarter that helped keep DePauw at bay. Meanwhile, Kenyon’s defense, anchored by Adam Hall ’26’s 10 saves, held firm, particularly during key stretches in the second and third quarters. The game wasn’t without its challenges, as DePauw found brief momentum late, but Kenyon never let it spiral, eventually defeating the Tigers 10-6.
“We’ve been in a lot of different situations over the course of this season,” Powell said. “Even throughout momentum swings, we just try to stay level-headed and work to play our game.”
The Owls will finish their game against Oberlin College on Thursday afternoon after it was delayed on Wednesday due to lightning. With the win against DePauw, Kenyon improves to 9-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play, looking to build momentum as the season heads toward its final stretch.