The 21st ranked Denison women's soccer team leapfrogged Earlham in the standings on Wednesday afternoon thanks to a goal by Katie Eckenhoff (right) in the second minute of play.
DU entered the match tied with Ohio Wesleyan for third place in the North Coast Athletic Conference at 3-1-2. Sitting one place in front of them was the Quakers at 4-2. The win by Denison has moved them into the #2 spot in the standings and has greatly improved their chances of hosting a NCAC Tournament semifinal match next Wednesday (October 31).
Denison applied the pressure to the Quakers from the onset. Eckenhoff scored the goal off the first of what would be 12 corner kick attempts for the Big Red. Anna Rusch took the corner and was credited with an assist on the goal.
In all, DU outshot Earlham 16-5 and blanked them in corner kicks, 12-0. Eckenhoff paced Denison with three shots, all of which were on-goal. Senior goalkeeper Liz Gillette posted three saves and her fourth consecutive shutout. In all, this marked Gillette's eighth shutout of the season and the 36th of her career.
Earlham goalkeeper JoBeth Buckley played all 90 minutes and finished with seven saves. Denison (11-4-2, 4-1-2) will close out their regular season on Saturday (Oct. 27) versus Hiram College. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Barclay-Thomsen Field.