The DePauw men’s soccer team captured back-to-back NCAC Tournament Championship titles Saturday afternoon, Nov. 8, at Reavis Stadium, defeating No. 2 seed Denison 3-1 to secure the conference crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Sebastian Leon ‘26 led the way with two goals, while Julian Bell ‘28 added one late to seal the deal. The win marks the Tigers’ fourth conference tournament title since joining the NCAC and their second consecutive NCAA appearance.
The match opened with high energy on both sides, but it was the Tigers who struck first. In the 22nd minute, Leon found the lower-left corner off a crisp assist from Tye Williams ‘26, giving DePauw the early lead. Denison nearly equalized minutes later on a penalty kick, but the shot went wide, and DePauw entered halftime up 1-0.
The Big Red came out of halftime with energy and tied it in the 50th minute on a goal from Jack Rice. But DePauw didn’t flinch.
“There was without a doubt some frustration in our minds,” Vance Borozinski ‘26 said. “But we knew what we had to do and how to execute it. We’ve been in spots like that before and knew we were gonna climb out of it again.”
The Tigers pulled ahead again in the 69th minute when Leon buried his second goal of the game—his sixth this season—off a clean feed from Bell. Then in the 81st, Bell iced the win with a third goal, finishing off a quick build-up that started with a sharp pass from Borozinski.
Goalkeeper Sam Ortner ‘27 made three saves to help close out the win. The two sides were even in total shots (11 each), but DePauw made theirs count, putting eight on frame compared to Denison’s four.
It wasn’t just Leon earning recognition. Five Tigers also secured spots on the NCAC All-Tournament Team: Leon, Ortner, Bell, Joey Black ‘27, and Harrison Engel ‘28.
“I think we really proved that DePauw soccer is here to stay,” Borozinski said. “We’re not chasing teams anymore. Now, they’re chasing us.”
With the win, DePauw improves to 12-2-5 overall.
The DePauw men’s soccer team concluded its season after a hard-fought NCAA first-round loss to Chicago, finishing with a 12-3-5 record and a relentless fight until the final whistle.
