GRANVILLE, Ohio - A pair of late first-half goals proved to be the diference for Denison, as the host Big Red handed the Gators a 3-1 defeat in a physical affair in which the two teams combined for 33 fouls and six cards.

With the loss, Allegheny falls ot 3-7-2 overall, and 1-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while Denison improved to 4-5-2 overall, and 1-1-1 in the conference.

Allegheny had the better of the play in the early going, holding possession in their offensive third of the field for the majority of an opening 15 minutes in which they tallied six shots and were granted for corner kicks.  After the Gators were unable to net the all-important first goal during the early surge, Denison slowly gained the momentum.  Twenty-two minutes into play, the hosts looked primed to take their first lead, but a shot from the middle of the box was punched over the crossbar on a save by Gator keeper David Stekla.  The junior made two more stops over the next 10 minutes, but the Big Red grabbed the lead with just over nine minutes left in the half, when Kennedy Kommor lofted a high-arching shot just under the crossbard and over a leaping Stekla to make it 1-0.

Two minutes later, a collision at midfield resulted in an Allegheny red card, and the Big Red immediately made the Gators pay, taking a 2-0 lead with five minutes left in the half when Jake Giardot picked up the rebound off a ball the blasted off the post, and sent it home past a diving Stekla.  

The Gators quickly answered right back, as sophomore Ian Chick tallied his second goal of the season just 80 seconds later, as he blasted a ball through traffic from 14 yards out and into the top corner of the net to make it 2-1, which is how the score would remain through the intermission.

Just 45 seconds into the second half, the Gators had their best opportunity to tie it, but a shot from up close by Jonas Skattum was blocked away by a Denison defender right before it crossed the line.  Denison quickly came back, tallying the match's next six shots, including a blast off the post in the 47th minute, before scoring an insurance goal in the 60th minute on a one-timer by Kommor to make it 3-1.

With 15 minutes left in regulation, the Gators were dealt another blow, as they lost a second player to a red card, and thus were forced to play the remainder of the game with just nine players.  Facing the two-man disadvantage, Allegheny was unable to threaten Denison's two-goal lead down the stretch.

Denison ended the afternoon with a 27-11 advantage in shots, including an 11-2 edge in the second half.  Tolossa Hassan had a team-leading four shots for Allegheny, while Stekla played all 90 minutes in goal, making four saves.

Allegheny will return to the Buckeye state for its next contest, as they will travel to NCAC foe Hiram to take on the Terriers in a 7:30 p.m. tilt on Wed., Oct. 11.