GRANVILLE, Ohio - A slow start offensively proved to be costly for Oberlin College women's lacrosse as they were defeated by the #1 seed, Denison University in the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship match, 15-10.

It was a fierce 60-minutes battle as the second-seeded Yeowomen and Big Red traded blows on Deeds Field inside of Piper Stadium. It was an even matchup except for the opening 15 minutes when a six-goal run from the Big Red burst the tournament final wide open.The two sides each tallied seven goals in the second half, but the first-half surge from Denison was the difference maker on Saturday afternoon.

"We hung in there," said fourth-year head coach Lynda McCandlish. "I am really proud of our team and how hard we fought today. There was a ton of positive energy from our sideline and our team the whole game, and I think that is a testament to the leadership of our seniors. Take away the first 15 minutes and we are right there. We just started a little slow today. It was a well fought game and Denison played very well," she commented.

The Yeowomen did get off to a slow start, remaining scoreless for opening 19 minutes exactly. In the meantime, the Big Red tacked on six unanswered goals to capture an early advantage.

A costly foul in front of  the Oberlin net got the Big Red on the board just 1:36 into the bout as Denison's Claire Ludlow converted a free position opportunity.

Kiely Noonan would add a second Denison score minutes later. Leah Israel would moved the Big Red in front 3-0 with her first of the day en route to a three-goal performance in the championship showdown.

Ludlow made it 4-0 Denison and Virginia Hamilton and Claudia Rafi followed to cap off the six-goal run. Sara Phister finally got the Yeowomen on the board with 11:00 left in the opening stanza. The senior doubled-up on scores 4:21 later to cut the Big Red lead back to four, 6-2.

A Denison from goal halted the Yeowomen's momentum, but Maggie Mullard responded with a score with 1:08 remaining in the half.

Oberlin trimmed the Denison lead to four, 7-3, as Mullard snuck a free position shot past the Big Red's starting goalie, Becca Jones. The score marked Mullard's 34th of the campaign.

Denison took the wind out of the Oberlin sails with a goal from Noonan with 13-ticks left in the half.

At the break, the Big Red held an 8-3 advantage over the Crimson and Gold and added to their lead after the intermission. Israel got the Big Red moving in the second 30-minute frame, and Phister answered by completing her hat-trick. With the scoreline at 9-4 in Denison's favor, the Big Red poured on three unanswered goals to put the battle out of reach.

An Oberlin comeback wasn't in the cards, but the Crimson and Gold showed resilience and played hard to the final whistle.

At the 19:36 mark, Phister capitalized on a free-position chance to notch her 33rd of the year. 1:30 later, leading goal scorer, Natalie Rauchle tallied her first of the game and 61st of the year. 

Noonan would stop the run, but Mullard, with help from Phister, and Phister herself would roll the deficit back to five, 13-8, with another 8-meter goal.

In the closing minutes, Denison's replacement goalie, Hannah Magarian, who came on at the half, made multiple key saves to stave off an Oberlin rally including shutting down a fast break opportunity by Eliza Amber, just inside of ten minutes.

The nail in the coffin came on a goal from Hamilton with 4:36 left in regulation. Denison would add one more score from Ludlow to give the hosts their 15th tally of the game.

Rauchle scored the games final goal with 11-seconds left, but it was too little, too late for the Crimson and Gold.

On the day, Phister had a team-high five goals and seven points with two assists. Mullard followed with three scores in the loss.

In possibly her final game in the Crimson and Gold, senior netminder Alexa L'Insalata tallied 13 saves in her second NCAC Tournament Championship appearance. She closes regular season and the Tournament with a total of 110 stops.

During the post-game trophy presentation, four Yeowomen were named All-Tournament. Phister, Michaela Puterbaugh, Sloane Garelick and Sydney Allen were tabbed as all-tournament performers.

The senior class of 2017 has been pivotal to the Yeowomen's success in McCandlish's tenure, tallying over 150 goals between the seven fourth-years.

"This senior class is definitely special," she said. "They were freshmen my first year and they need to take some of the credit for the progress this program has made. I think that a lot of our success this season is because of our senior class and the hard work they have put in, their dedication and leadership. They're not only talented athletically, but hard workers in the class room and really define scholar-athletes."

The Yeowomen close the 2017 season with a record of 14-2, with both setbacks coming against the Big Red.

Without the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament that Denison earned with the win, the Yeowomen are on the outside looking in. However, there is a chance that the Crimson and gold can capture an at-large bid.

The NCAA Tournament selection show is set for Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.