By Garrett Gess · Staff Writer
Grove City men’s lacrosse extended its winning streak to eight games during a Saturday doubleheader with a 14-13 overtime victory against St. Mary’s (Md.), followed by a victory over Thiel 25-2 at Thorn Field.
Against nonconference St. Mary’s, sophomore midfielder Ethan Binns scored the game-winning goal 49 seconds into overtime off an assist from senior attack Stewart McClain, finishing a game that featured multiple momentum swings and late-game execution from both teams.
Grove City controlled the opening quarter. Senior attack Mac Faircloth scored twice as the Wolverines built a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes. Sophomore attack Tyler Blazek, senior defender Sam Stevenson, junior attack Davis Schneider and junior midfielder Tyson Bui also scored during the run, giving the Wolverines an early advantage in both possession and tempo.
St. Mary’s responded in the second quarter, scoring four times to cut the deficit to 7-4. Binns and Schneider added goals late in the half to help Grove City carry an 8-4 lead into halftime, but the shift in momentum continued into the third quarter.
The Seahawks opened the second half with three straight goals to trim the margin to 8-7, applying pressure in transition and capitalizing on extended possessions. The Wolverines answered through McClain and senior attack Rigdon Greene, and Bui scored in the closing second of the third quarter to give the Wolverines an 11-8 lead entering the fourth.
St. Mary’s continued to close the gap. Three consecutive goals early in the fourth quarter tied the game at 11, forcing Grove City to respond again. Greene converted with seven minutes remaining to put the Wolverines back in front, and Bui added his third goal of the game with five minutes left for a 13-12 lead.
St. Mary’s forced overtime, scoring with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, tying the game at 13 and completing the comeback. In overtime, Grove City gained possession and converted quickly. McClain found Binns cutting toward the goal, and Binns finished, securing the victory.
Bui led the Wolverines with three goals. Schneider recorded two goals and a team-high three assists, while Faircloth and Greene each scored twice. McClain added one goal and one assist in the win. Grove City held a 52-40 advantage in total shots and a 23-20 edge in shots on goal. Both teams collected 33 ground balls. Senior faceoff specialist Colton Lehberg led the Wolverines with 10 ground balls.
Defensively, senior defender Andrew Glasgow and junior defender Nate Clark each caused two turnovers. Grove City committed 14 turnovers, compared to 16 for St. Mary’s. Senior goalie Tyler Gladstone earned the win with seven saves.
Grove City completed a sweep of Saturday’s doubleheader with a PAC victory against Thiel later in the day. Freshman attack Owen Edkins scored a career-high seven goals, while freshman attack Jake Parker added five assists and freshman attack Mason Lyons recorded four assists. The win over Thiel marked the 100th career victory for ninth-year Head Coach Alec Jernstedt.
Riding high, the Wolverines continue to strengthen their regional dynasty in the area, going for seven straight conference titles, winning all since the PAC sponsored the sport in 2019. Also going undefeated in all their conference games, Grove City has a 51-0 regular season record and 12-0 playoff record against PAC opponents.
Grove City concluded the regular season Wednesday with a conference game at Hiram. Once again, Grove City clinched the one-seed for the upcoming PAC playoffs and will enter the NCAA playoffs with a lot of confidence if they win the conference.
