By Garrett Gess · Staff Writer
Grove City women’s lacrosse continues its winning streak with its 11th-straight victory. This is the team’s longest streak in program history, as the previous record was a 10-game streak in their 2022 inaugural season.
Against PAC opponents, Grove City is on a record 21-game winning streak dating back to the 2024 regular season. The Wolverines overpowered their recent competition with a major 9-3 victory at Chatham, handing the Cougars their only conference loss of the season so far. Grove City then had back-to-back 23-0 wins against Saint Vincent and Hiram last week.
Against Hiram last Saturday, Grove City thrived on speed and toughness, a crucial element of the Wolverine attack. Seven different Wolverine players found the back of the net multiple times, and junior midfielder Jess Robinette led with a four-goal performance. Junior midfielder Tori Stevenson followed with three, while junior attack Taylor Blythe had a six-point day, scoring twice and dishing out four assists.
Sophomore midfielder Ella Krabitz, sophomore midfielder Mia Mygatt, freshman midfielder Avery Anderson and freshman midfielder Elliette Smith each added a pair of goals as part of the balanced attack. Grove City also got on the board from senior attack Jackie Rowell, senior attack Grace Forry, junior attack Gwen Shilling, freshman midfielder Maddie LaForte and freshman defender Sophia Happel.
It was all Grove City from the outset, with six goals in the opening quarter, then a 14-0 cushion by halftime. The Wolverines kept their foot on the gas with a 23-0 shutout. Defensively, freshman defender Gabri Hallam forced seven turnovers. The Wolverine defense has not surrendered a single point in their last two games and only allowed six shots during the stretch, all of which were defended by senior goalkeeper Mia Gallagher protecting the net.
With two more conference games to go, Grove City is in the driver’s seat to be the No. 1 seed and have a home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Tough teams like Chatham, W&J and Westminster would love nothing more than to get revenge and spoil Grove City’s three-peat. The Wolverines, however, are out to prove otherwise.
“I think what has helped us handle the pressure of going for a third straight PAC title is knowing that we have huge targets on our backs and people want to beat us,” Anderson said. “In practice, in the weight room, in film and all of the things that make us successful, we continue to grow and get better and not be comfortable where we are. We also structure our team mission around serving each other well and growing in our faith. Which I believe has helped us become so successful.”
The Grove City squad has certainly served each other in a big way, with the Wolverines being fourth in the NCAA in the assists category, with nearly 10 per game. After losing their first three games by a narrow margin, the Wolverines are getting hot at the right time and looking to carry this firepower into the playoffs, now at 11-3.
“Those three very close losses to teams we could have beaten ignited us and gave us fire to get a check in the win category that has continued to keep us going and hungry. Our team connection also really grew post spring break, which added to our connection on the field,” Anderson said.
Grove City will wrap up the regular season next week with two home matchups. They will first face Otterbein at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Robert E. Thorn Field, and will close with a senior day match against Thiel at 3 p.m. on April 25 at Don Lyle Field. The Wolverines look to take care of business next week and carry their momentum into the playoffs.
