Wolverines double down during spring break trip
By Natalie Hanna · Staff Writer
The Grove City women’s lacrosse team earned two exciting early season victories in Florida last week. The team secured a 21-0 decision over Marian University on Monday, March 2, followed by a slightly narrower win of 13-6 against Clark University on Thursday, March 5.
According to juniors Taylor Blythe and Gwen Shilling, the team’s biggest strengths going into the week were its eagerness to win and confident and competitive mindset.
“We were all just super optimistic and very confident in one another and knew that we had the tools needed to win both games,” Blythe said.
Eleven distinct players scored goals during their first match. Blythe and junior Tori Stevenson each tallied three goals and four assists. Freshman midfielder Avery Anderson also recorded three goals.
Senior Jackie Rowell, junior Jess Robinette, sophomore Mia Mygatt and sophomore Maddie LaForte all contributed to the offensive effort as well with two goals apiece. In addition, Shilling, senior Grace Forry, sophomore Ella Krabitz and freshman Addy Porter each scored once for the team.
Freshman defender Gabri Hallam led the defensive front by causing six Marian turnovers, with Anderson, Mygatt and Robinette each adding two. Overall, Grove City owned the turnover margin 34-20.
“In the first game we won by a pretty big margin, but our biggest focus was still on the things we knew we needed to improve. Even though the score was in our favor, we kept working on our execution and the little details. I think that mindset helped us keep getting better as the game went on and prepared us for the second game,” Robinette said.
Their second game was marked by their ability to respond after a slow start. They were down 4-0 within the first five minutes and 30 seconds to Clark, but Mygatt and Robinette were both able to score twice in the last 10 minutes. Shilling added a goal as well to give the Wolverines a 5-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Robinette added two more goals within 52 seconds in the second quarter, bringing her to a total of four goals for the game. Rowell, Porter and Shilling each recorded a goal in the second quarter as well, giving Grove City a 10-6 advantage at the half. Senior Reese Hasley scored in the third quarter.
Mygatt fired in her third goal, followed by one from Stevenson in the fourth, bringing the final score to 13-6. Blythe had a season-high five assists, and goalie Mia Gallagher made eight saves in goal for her second win of the week.
Grove City had a 31-23 edge in shots taken and tallied 18 turnovers to Clark’s 17.
Staying strong both on and off the field is key for the ladies and has allowed them to work better together and to encourage one another when mistakes are made. The team is also intentional in being rooted in Christ as they make their way through this season.
With the season just beginning, the Wolverines are looking forward to playing competitive games alongside one another and are optimistic about their chances of winning their third PAC championship in a row.
After facing Fredonia State at home Wednesday, Grove City will travel to Buffalo, N.Y. tomorrow to face Buffalo State. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m.
