Women's Soccer | 11/8/2025 7:45:00 PM

GROVE CITY, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Grove City College won its third consecutive Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) women's soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over visiting Waynesburg University Saturday in the Tournament title match.

The win gives Grove City (13-4-2) the program's 10th PAC title overall and the Wolverines are the first team to win at least three championships in a row since Thomas More won seven straight from 2011-17. Waynesburg, who was playing in their first women's soccer championship match since 2011, finished the season with a 15-3-2 record.

It was an active first half on both offensive ends, with Grove City getting off a dozen shots, compared to six for Waynesburg. The Wolverines cashed in on their fourth shot of the match, with the play developing off a give-and-go. Grove City freshman Lauren Muhanna (Pittsburgh, Pa./Moon) played a ball to sophomore Kiara White (Perkiomenville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), who immediately played it back. Muhanna dribbled down the left wing into the box, took a touch to get separation back towards the center and lifted a right-footed shot that snuck in under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead at the 13:48 mark of the half.

Although Grove City would continue peppering the Waynesburg goal through the half, the top scoring chances came from the Yellow Jacket attack. Around the 28th minute, a high Waynesburg shot was deflected off the crossbar by Grove City junior keeper Maddie Mills (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna). The rebound was still loose on the ground and a follow-up was also denied by Mills before the Wolverines defense cleared it away.

The score would remain 1-0 in Grove City's favor at halftime, largely due to Lex Greenlief's (Chester, W.Va./Oak Glen) efforts with six saves. Mills was equally as busy, stopping five shots.

The second half was full of scoring chances for both teams, but also key saves from the keepers. In perhaps their best chance of the half, Waynesburg nearly drew even around the midway point of the half. Junior Hailey Gilchrist (Hanover, Va./Hanover) launched a shot from just inside the box on the right wing that was on target, but Mills managed to punch it just over the crossbar to deny the threat.

Grove City nearly doubled their lead in the 80th minute off a set play from a corner. The Wolverines played it short to start and it led to a shot from deep on the left side that was soaring towards the upper right corner. At the last instant, Greenlief managed to deflect it off the post and off a Grove City player out of bounds for a Yellow Jacket goal kick.

The Wolverines defense, which allowed just two goals in 13 matches against PAC teams this season, limited the Waynesburg chances down the stretch. Mills had to make one more with five minutes to play, but it was the only Waynesburg attempt in the final 10 minutes. Grove City would keep the ball in their offensive end for much of the last couple minutes and the Wolverines would close out their 11th consecutive shutout to secure the PAC crown for a third year in a row.

Although the Wolverines would compile a 28-15 advantage in shots for the game, as well a 6-1 margin in corners, the shots on goal were close. Grove City had 11 attempts on frame, while Waynesburg put 10 on net. Both keepers turned in strong performances, with Mills making 10 saves for the clean sheet, while Greenlief matched her with 10 stops.

The PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player award went to Grove City junior defender Hannah Costa (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg Christian), who has been the anchor of the Wolverine defense through the current shutout streak, which included 1-0 wins in both the semifinal and championship. Joining Costa on the All-Tournament Team was Muhanna and junior forward Tori Stevenson (Butler, Pa./Butler).

Earning All-Tournament Team accolades for the Yellow Jackets was Greenlief and freshman midfielder Miracle Hershey (Lebanon Co., Pa./New Covenant Christian).

The third straight PAC championship for Grove City also means they earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. Selections for the 64-team Division III Championship will be announced Monday, Nov. 10. First and second round matchups are scheduled for Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15.