GROVE CITY, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Behind eight players who scored two or more goals, the Grove City men's lacrosse team cruised to a 27-9 victory over second seed Allegheny College in the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Lacrosse Tournament Championship Game Saturday at Grove City's Robert E. Thorn Field.

The win was was the fifth consecutive PAC title for the top-seeded Wolverines, who improved to 15-4 this season with the victory. Top-seeded Grove City led 6-2 after one quarter, pushed the lead to 11-3 by halftime and then sealed the win with 10 goals in the third quarter. 

Graduate student James Petrolle (Damascus, Md./Damascus) helped pace Grove City with four goals and three assists, good for a game-high seven points. Junior Matt Blythe (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) also pumped in four goals while junior Alec Jones (Chesterfield, N.J./Notre Dame) and freshman Davis Schneider (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton Academy) each scored three times. 

Senior Griffen Agawa (San Ramon, Calif./California), junior Zachary Hougan (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), junior Trey Zabroski (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) and freshman Tyson Bui (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) all scored a pair of goals. 

Grove City never trailed as goals from Jayne and Petrolle in the first 4:46 gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead. Blythe closed the quarter by scoring with 10 seconds left after receiving an assist from junior Jason Muench (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park).

Fox, Petrolle and Blythe all scored in the final 6:10 of the first half to give the Wolverines an 11-3 halftime lead. Those three goals sparked a 12-0 run as Grove City scored the first nine goals of the third quarter. Blythe, Hougan and Petrolle scored man-up goals in the third quarter. Jones's unassisted goal with 5:22 left in the third period gave Grove City a 20-3 advantage.  

Freshman long stick midfielder Wesley Prentiss (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) posted a career-high five caused turnovers to help lead Grove City's defensive effort. Zabroski caused four turnovers while junior defender Zach Furry (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and sophomore long stick midfielder Ryan Evans (Crofton, Md./DeMatha) each caused three turnovers. 

Sophomore faceoff specialist Colton Lehberg (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian) won 19 of 23 faceoffs. He recorded a team-leading 12 ground balls, while Zabroski scooped up six ground balls. 

Grove City owned a 51-31 edge in total shots, along with a 37-21 edge in shots on goal. Senior goalie Danny Stone (Chantilly, Va./Flint Hill) made eight saves in 45 minutes, earning the win.

The Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award went to Zabroski, who finished with two goals, 10 ground balls and four CTs in the two PAc Tournament wins for the Wolverines.

For Allegheny, senior Aidan D'Amato (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) scored twice in the second half and finished with a team-high three points. Freshman Alex Crespo (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) and sophomore JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson) (1g-1a) each had two points. Junior faceoff specialist Anthony DeMarco (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) picked up a team-high 11 gournd balls.

As the winner of the PAC Championship Tournament, Grove City receives the conference's automatic-qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. The field for this year's Division III Championship is scheduled to be announced Sunday, May 5. First round games are scheduled for Wednesday, May 8.
 

2024 PAC Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament
Wednesday, May 1
Semifinals
7 p.m.	[SF1] Allegheny 16, Saint Vincent 12	- Meadville, Pa.
7 p.m.	[SF2] Grove City 17, Westminster 6	- Grove City, Pa.
Saturday, May 4
Title game
4 p.m.	No. 1 Grove City 27, No. 2 Allegheny 9	- Grove City, Pa.