NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (pacathletics.org) - The Grove City College men's lacrosse team dropped a 16-14 decision Saturday afternoon at No. 4 Christopher Newport (17-3) in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, held at CNU's Jennings Stadium.

Grove City trailed 10-8 at halftime after scoring the final three goals of the first half. Sophomore midfielder Tyson Bui (Harleyville, Va./Souderton) scored with 2:45 left after receiving an assist from senior attack Zachary Hougan (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), igniting the second quarter charge. 

Sophomore attack Sawyer Strong (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) followed with an unassisted goal at the 1:21 mark, cutting the lead to 10-7. Junior attack Stewart McClain (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) closed the half by scoring after a Hougan assist with 48 seconds left. 

Christopher Newport extended the lead to 16-9 early in the fourth quarter but the Wolverines rallied. Graduate students Noah Goad (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve) and Luke Rios (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) scored successive goals in a six-second span. McClain, Strong and Hougan also scored in the final four minutes but the Wolverines could not complete the comeback.

McClain and Strong each fired in three goals for Grove City while Hougan finished with two goals and a team-leading four assists. Graduate student midfielder Luke Jayne (Vero Beach, Fla./Saint Edward's), senior midfielder Alec Jones (Chesterfield, N.J./Notre Dame) and sophomore attack Davis Schneider (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton Academy) also scored.

Bui, McClain, senior attack Matt Blythe (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima), senoir midfielder Trey Zabroski (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) and sophomore midfielder Logan Fox (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Christian) all tallied assists. 

Senior defender Zach Furry (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), senior defender Benjamin Griffin (Asheboro, N.C./Greensboro Day), junior defender Sam Stevenson (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) and sophomore defender Nathaniel Clark (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood) all caused two turnovers. 

Junior Colton Lehberg (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian) led Grove City (14-8) with four ground balls. Goad, Stevenson, Zabroski and sophomore midfielder Joshua McDermott (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Santa Margarita) all had three ground balls. 

Christopher Newport recorded 46 shots while Grove City had 44 shots. The Wolverines owned a 29-28 edge in shots on goal. Grove City had 15 turnovers while Christopher Newport finished with 20 turnovers. 

Graduate student goalie Danny Stone (Chantilly, Va./Flint Hill) stopped 12 shots. 

The teams also met during the regular season March 1 in Newport News, Va., with the host Captains earning a 14-13 win in double overtime. 

Christopher Newport advances to the third round and will face Lynchburg Sunday. Lynchburg defeated Stevenson in Saturday's second game, 15-6.

This marked Grove City's sixth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Grove City opened the tournament with an 18-3 home win last Wednesday over Albion at Robert E. Thorn Field in the first round.

Contributed by Grove City Sports Information