Granville, Ohio – Junior midfielder
Colin MacDonald scored the golden goal in overtime to send Denison Big Red men's soccer past John Carroll, 2-1, in the NCAC Tournament semifinals on Thursday night at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium. The Big Red advance to their fourth straight NCAC Tournament final.
Denison grabbed the early lead in the 11th minute. Sophomore Henry Gallun buried a header into the top left corner off feeds from Jack Rice and Justin Crow to lead 1-0. After some defensive grudges, the teams went into half with the Big Red up 1-0. Denison led in shots 3-2, and had two shots on goal.
In the second half, both squads had opportunities down the stretch, but both defenses proved to be strong. John Carroll finally broke through in the 79th minute, and the match went to overtime.
After nice chances from the Blue Streaks, in the 98th minute, junior Kaden Kist sent a cross over to Colin MacDonald, who fired a laser into the top bin, giving Denison the golden goal and win, advancing them to the conference final.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Provost made three saves in regulation, all in the second half, and junior goalkeeper
Ronan Kiter took over for overtime. Denison out-shot John Carroll 11-9 and held a 6-4 edge in shots on goal. The Big Red also held a 7-1 edge in corner kicks, with six of the seven coming in the second half.
The win is Denison's third straight over John Carroll, and the Big Red now lead the all-time series, 15-13. Denison has not lost since September 19, a 2-0 loss to Centre. The Big Red are 11-1-6 on the year, with an 11-match unbeaten streak and a six-game win streak. They have not lost at home this season (7-0-4) and have recorded eight shutouts.
Up Next for the Big Red
Denison advances to the NCAC Championship game on Sunday, November 8 at 1 pm against Kenyon in Gambier, Ohio.
