CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash found late offensive sparks from Grayson McCallum, Jake Pippen, and Aidan Muncy, but an early Denison surge proved too much to overcome as the Little Giants dropped a 19-4 North Coast Athletic Conference home contest Wednesday afternoon at Fischer Field.

Little Giants Drop Home NCAC Contest To Denison, 19-4

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Denison scored the first 14 goals of the match and never let Wabash find sustained momentum, sending the Little Giants to a 19-4 home loss Wednesday afternoon in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Fischer Field.

The Big Red (5-7, 3-1 NCAC) struck quickly, winning the opening faceoff and scoring 1:11 into the first quarter on Michael Cassidy's first of five goals. That sparked an 8-0 opening quarter for Denison, which got goals from Cassidy, Anthony Savoy, Colin Swanson, Kevin Berutich, Liam Gillard, and two from Macky Peck in the first 15 minutes. One of Peck's first-quarter scores came on a man-up opportunity with 42 seconds remaining in the period.

Denison kept the pressure on in the second quarter, adding six more goals to build a 14-0 lead. Cassidy scored twice in the period, while Gillard, AJ Boxler, and Brady Monturio added goals before Monturio scored again with 3:36 left before halftime to make it 14-0.

Wabash (2-9, 0-3 NCAC) broke through with 2:17 remaining in the second quarter when Jake Pippen converted a man-up chance off an assist from Sam Santiago, trimming the deficit to 14-1. The Little Giants added another late in the period as Grayson McCallum scored unassisted with 1:30 to play, sending Wabash into halftime trailing 14-2.

McCallum opened the third-quarter scoring for Wabash with an unassisted goal at 13:30, briefly slowing another Denison run. The sophomore midfielder finished with two goals and one assist to lead the Little Giants with three points. Denison answered with three straight goals in the quarter from Cassidy, Peck, and Swanson to push the lead to 17-3 entering the fourth.

The Big Red added fourth-quarter goals from Berutich and Jonah Frank before Wabash closed the scoring at 6:10 of the final period. Aidan Muncy finished off a feed from McCallum for the Little Giants' final goal and the 19-4 margin.

Denison controlled the statistical comparison across the board, outshooting Wabash 59-18 and holding a 33-8 edge in shots on goal. The Big Red also owned a 43-25 advantage in ground balls and won 21 of 26 faceoffs, limiting the Little Giants' possessions throughout the afternoon. Both teams were efficient in clears, with Denison converting 18 of 19 and Wabash 18 of 22.

Wabash went 1-for-8 in extra-man opportunities, with Pippen's second-quarter strike providing the lone conversion. Denison finished 2-for-3 on its extra-man chances.

Individually for the Little Giants, McCallum led the offense with two goals and one assist on four shots, including two shots on goal. Pippen added one goal on two shots, while Muncy recorded one goal and one ground ball. Santiago finished with one assist and one ground ball. Evan Bair paced Wabash with three shots, while Will Sorg added four attempts.

Defensively, goalkeeper Colin Krekeler played all 60 minutes and made 14 saves while facing 33 shots on goal. Cooper Navarro led Wabash with four ground balls, while Eli Backus added three ground balls and went 5-for-17 in faceoff attempts. Bryce Poling and Lucas Cunningham each contributed key caused turnovers in the defensive half.

Denison was led by Cassidy's five goals and one assist, while Monturio posted two goals and a game-high six assists. Peck scored three times, and Berutich added two goals. Larson controlled the faceoff circle, winning 13 of 16 draws for the Big Red.

Wabash returns to action next Saturday with another NCAC contest as the Little Giants continue conference play on the road.

Wabash returns to conference action Saturday with a 1 p.m. road match at Kenyon.