Author Archive | gcclaxer

The Wolverines held to a familiar pattern this year playing an in division rival to a one goal game. Grove City split their first two division games of the season, holding on to beat Carnegie Mellon 9-8 at home and losing to Walsh University in double overtime. To heighten the importance of the game, both teams saw it as a must win scenario. A Grove City loss would effectively end their chances of postseason play and clinch a birth for John Carroll in the CCLA play-offs. A win for Grove City would keep its destiny in its own hands and set up a showdown with #6 Dayton on Saturday. For the second time in three games, the Wolverines overcame a slow start to rally for four 4th quarter goals and score the game winning goal with less than a minute remaining. Once again it was Althausen and Irwin combining for the last second heroics, this time with Althausen recording the assist and Irwin firing home for the victory. The win pushed Grove City’s record to 7-4 and guaranteed a winning record for the Wolverines this season. It also maintained the Wolverines undefeated record at home, extending their streak to 4-0.

The game started well for the Wolverines who possessed the ball well and were able to generate good shots, but they would concede the first goal and faced an early 1-0 deficit. The defense settled down and would not allow John Carroll to score again until the 4th quarter. Sophomore attackman Ryan Cypher evened the score at one with a nice inside finish, and the teams would take a 1-1 deadlock into halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, John Carroll took advantage of a slashing penalty to go back up by one within the first minute of the last quarter, but the Wolverines would respond with three straight goals, two by junior midfielder Andrew Williams and one from sophomore midfielder Ryan Althausen to put the score at 4-2. A rare defensive miscue allowed the Blue Streaks to narrow the gap to one, and a fast-break moments later evened the score with 2:40 left on the clock. With 30 seconds left Althausen took a dodge, moved the ball backside to Irwin for a re-dodge and Irwin made his opportunity count, ripping the ball past goalie Mike Burgos (19 saves, .792%) who was largely responsible for keeping the Wolverines offense at bay. Senior captains Jordan Markley and Bill Sigmund, along with freshman Ryan Colby, did a remarkable job on the defensive end frustrating the Blue Streak’s attack all night never letting them settle into a rhythm. Sophomore goalie Chris Dymski came up big in goal making 12 saves (.750%) to hold John Carroll to their lowest goal total on the season. In his first full season as a starter, Dymski is yielding a paltry 5.909 goals against average and boasts a .677% save percentage on the year. Only one year removed from their disappointing 3-7 finish last season, the resilient team effort gives the Wolverines a chance to close out the season with a shot at the division title with a win over Dayton on Saturday.

For the first time all year the Grove City men’s lacrosse team went on a two game road trip and came away with two victories. The two victories marked a successful return to action for the Wolverines who were inactive since their 10-9 double overtime loss to Walsh three weeks ago.

Grove City vs. Lindenwood-Belleville

The additional time off gave the Wolverines an opportunity for to heal from the bumps and bruises that accumulate over a long season and re-focus themselves for the critical four game stretch they face to end the regular season. Their opening test came against nationally ranked #22 Washington University – St. Louis.

The game got off to a rough start for the Wolverines who immediately turned the ball over on their opening possession. The Bears then turned miscommunication on the Grove City defensive end into two quick goals. They would add another goal and within the first five minutes of the game the Wolverines were looking up at a 3-0 deficit. Freshman midfielder Will Stumpf finally got the Wolverines on the board with his 8th goal of the year to cut the lead to two, but the goal didn’t have a settling effect on the team. The Bears would respond with a goal of their own and extend the lead right back to three. After that the best thing that would happen to the Wolverines in the first quarter occurred, it ended.

The defense settled down in the second quarter turning the game into a defensive battle. The two teams would trade goals again with Grove City scoring in the second quarter to make the score 4-2 heading into halftime, and Washington converting a man up opportunity to take a three goal lead into the 4th quarter.

Something clicked for the visiting team in the 4th quarter, and after struggling all night the offense found new life. The Wolverines started slowly climbing back into the game and after three consecutive goals the Wolverines found themselves in a tie ballgame for the first time since the opening whistle. With a minute remaining in the game freshman standout Ryan Colby forced a key turnover and in the ensuing battle for the groundball the Bears were flagged for a penalty. Senior captain Tim Irwin connected with sophomore Ryan Althausen who buried a shot to give the Wolverines their first lead of the game with less than 40 seconds to play. The team held on through the Bears last-second offensive flurries to close out the victory.

Senior X-Attackman Kellen Quackenbush led all players with 4 pts (3 goals, 1 Assist) and Sophomore goalie Chris Dymski made 16 saves (.762%) on the defensive end to bail out the Wolverines numerous times. The victory was the first win over a ranked opponent on the year for the team and provided them with a little momentum heading into their game with Lindenwood-Belleville the next day.

The Wolverines jumped out to a 5-0 nothing lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Behind a strong offensive performance by Tim Irwin 6 pts ( 4 goals, 2 Assists) and Will Stumpf’s first career hat-trick the team rebounded from its struggles the night before. Chris Dymski made 13 saves (.867%) and the team concluded its road trip with two victories that doubled their win total from last year and pushed its overall record to 6-4. The team now heads home for two divisional home games against John Carroll and #6 Dayton.

By Gary Horvath
Collegian Sports Editor

The Grove City College Men’s lacrosse team added two impressive wins to their resume this past weekend. On Friday, March 9, they defeated Taylor University by a score of 12-2 and the next morning , shut out Calvin College while scoring 14 goals.

The wins helped the Wolverines maintain their perfect home record so far this year, improving to 3-0. Their first home win came in a 9-8 thriller against Carnegie Mellon University on Monday, February 27.

The Wolverines so thoroughly dominated their opponents that it’s hard to say exactly what the key to their success was. The offense possessed the ball with great consistency and the defense was as stingy as it’s ever been.

Sophomore goalie Chris Dymski earned his first career shutout against Calvin. With his performance this weekend, he and the rest of the defense now boast the fifth best goals against average (5.8) and the tenth best save percentage (.667) in the nation for MCLA Division II lacrosse.

On the offensive end, the team has been paced by sophomore attacker Ryan Cypher, who leads the team with 18 points (14 G, 4 A). 11 of those points came against Taylor and Calvin.
After the games, Cypher discussed what has made this year’s offensive squad successful.
“We are starting to communicate and execute as a team and not individually. We have found that when we each strive to complete our specific roles in every little aspect we are successful and will get the job done,” he said.

It’s no surprise that a little bit of hard work has contributed to the recent offensive onslaught. Cypher added, “The GCC offense has grown exponentially over the past year. Waking up at 5:45 in the mornings for practice in the off season was tough, but I will honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Working hard at times we don’t want to is what leads to success.”

Also adding to the recently potent offense are Senior Captains Tim Irwin and Kellen Quackenbush. Irwin has 17 points on the year and leads the team with 11 assists, many of them to Cypher. Quackenbush has thrived in the ‘X’ attack position this year, scoring 11 goals and adding five assists.

The Wolverines now sit at 3-2 on the year, suffering two losses on their spring break trip to Savannah, Georgia against southern rivals No. 12 Elon and No. 9 Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (No. 9).

Although an opportunity to garner some national attention was missed, Grove City head coach Andrew Stimmel has focused on the benefits of the trip.
“Playing competitively against two top ten teams on the road really allowed the guys to see their potential and gain confidence for the future. As hard as those two [losses] were to swallow for the team, they realized how close they were to coming away with two victories.”

The team knows that consistency across the board is the key to continued success this season. Stimmel added,
“The guys have a great understanding of the constant refining, discipline and faith it takes to grow in their relationship with Christ and we apply that same concept to our team after every practice and game. In a lot of ways, you saw the carryover of that this weekend against Calvin and Taylor.”

Grove City will again hit the road this weekend with games against No. 2 Grand Valley State University on Friday night and Aquinas College on Saturday. A strong showing in Michigan could help the Wolverines regain a national ranking for the first time since last season.