Author Archive | Gray MacKenzie

Grove City, PA – The Grove City College Wolverines watched their playoff hopes come to an end against the Walsh University Cavaliers on Wednesday, April 13th.  Grove City needed a win to force a three-way tie for a spot in the CCLA Division II Playoffs between the Wolverines, Walsh University, and Carnegie Mellon.

Grove City started the game well, scoring first after forcing a turnover in transition.  Walsh’s offense began to click and they jumped ahead to a 7-2 lead in the second quarter.  The Wolverines scored the final three goals of the first half and took the momentum into halftime, trailing 7-5.

In the third quarter, Grove City was able to tie the game at 8, and trailed 9-8 heading into the fourth.  The Wolverines possessed the ball for most of the fourth quarter, got a number of good shot opportunities, and tied the game at 10.

The Wolverines possessed the ball first in overtime, but were unable to find the back of the net.  Walsh took advantage of their possession and scored several minutes into overtime to win 11-10 and seal their  bid to the Conference Playoffs.

Gray MacKenzie led Grove City in scoring with 5 goals, while Midfielder Tim Irwin had 4 points thanks to a hat trick and an assist.  Jon Althausen and Luke Stoltzfus each scored a goal for Grove City, Ryan Althausen had 3 assists, and Jon Althausen added 2 assists to round out the scoring.  Senior Andrew Dymski made 13 saves while captaining the Wolverine defense.

While the Wolverine’s playoff chances have dissipated, the Grove City College Lacrosse season may not be over.  A conference game against John Carroll University was postponed due to snow earlier in the year, and may be rescheduled.  Details will be posted to the website, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

With the loss, Grove City College Lacrosse falls to 3-7 on the year.  Walsh University improves to 6-1, and will now travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to face Saint Louis University and Butler.

Grove City, PA – The Grove City Wolverines lost a conference game to Carnegie Mellon University by a score of 9-8 on Saturday, April 2nd.  Grove City led 4-2 at the half, but a lackluster third quarter allowed the Tartans to go ahead 6-4 going into the fourth quarter.  Grove City outscored CMU 4-2 in the final quarter, tying the game and sending it in to overtime.

Kellen Quackenbush got a good look at the cage early in overtime, but his shot bounced off the crossbar and away from the goal.  Carnegie Mellon was able to win the groundball and end the game with a goal by freshmen midfielder Craig Matturro.

The Wolverines had quality shots throughout the game, but their inability to convert combined with Carnegie Mellon’s ability to take advantage of opportunities allowed the Tartans to escape with a win.

Grove City’s goalkeeper Andrew Dymski made 16 saves for the Wolverines.   Tim Irwin led Grove City in scoring with 4 goals.  Jon Althausen tallied a goal and 2 assists, Gray MacKenzie and Ryan Althausen each added a goal and an assist, and Kellen Quackenbush had 1 goal to round out the scoring.

Grove City moves on to face #1 Grand Valley State University at 6:30pm on Friday, April 8th on Grove City’s Thorn Field.

Pittsburgh, PA – Grove City College Lacrosse dropped their season opener to the University of Pittsburgh by a final score of 14-9 on Friday, February 18th.   The game, the first official MCLA game of the season for both teams, was played at the Cost Center on the Pitt campus.  The Wolverines had a strong first possession, struggled to control the ball effectively throughout the first half, and trailed at halftime 8-3.  Grove City’s play improved in the third and fourth quarters, and they traded goals with the Panthers in the second half en route to the 14-9 loss.

Grove City's Tim Irwin (#26) faces off for the Wolverines against Pitt

The Wolverines were led offensively by midfielders Tim Irwin and Ryan Althausen who each scored 3 goals, despite not playing in the first quarter.  Seniors Jon Althausen and Gray MacKenzie each added a goal and an assist, Mike Carnock scored Grove City’s first goal off of a deflected shot, and Gill Trainor rounded out the Wolverine’s offensive production with an assist. Defensively, Andrew Dymski stopped 19 shots in cage, but the Panthers were able to get good looks at the cage all night.

Despite the loss, Senior Captain Andrew Dymski remains optimistic about the season: “Gaining that first regular season game of experience is invaluable for a young roster.  We’ve got talent, we’ve got depth, and we’re headed in the right direction.  We’ve got three weeks to prepare, and we’ll be better and we’ll be ready for Missouri Baptist.”

Grove City moves on to face Missouri Baptist Universe at 8:30pm on March 11 in Dayton, Ohio.  The Wolverines will then take on Tennessee Wesleyan at 11:30am on March 12.