by Matt Koll
The Grove City Wolverines are at it again. Going for their fourth consecutive championship, Grove City is the top seed in the PAC Tournament after a perfect 7-0 record in conference play this season.
Who can take them down? We’re going to find out this week. Let’s get a deeper look at the four who remain in men’s lacrosse.
No. 1 GROVE CITY (8-8, 7-0 PAC)
Head coach Alex Jernstedt has built a Wolverines dynasty and has his team poised to strike again. They finished the regular season as the PAC’s top scoring team at 15 goals per game while leading the conference in shot percentage (.356), which has been a separator for them, considering it’s 39 percentage points higher than the next best team.
Matt Blythe is their leading scorer, averaging almost three goals per game ranking third in the PAC while Zachary Hougan ranks second in assists.
“Our offense has been as good as it’s been this year because of how balanced we have been and unselfish the men are,” says head coach Alex Jernstedt. “We have great balance of scoring and it’s been different guys every week. The men really trust each other and so they play their roles well and are genuinely excited when the men around them have success.”
Not only Grove City win every conference game this season but none of them were particularly close, with the exception of a 15-12 win over No. 2 Saint Vincent. Outside of that, their average margin of victory was 15.5 in PAC play. Understandably, all of this creates the rather logical belief that the Wolverines have the capability to win a fourth consecutive title.
“I believe we can win another championship because I have seen how much care and effort the men have put in to this season,” Jernstedt said. “I know how much they love each other and are willing to sacrifice for one another. I’ve watched them play extremely hard in the wins and in the losses this year so far. When you see a team prepare well, stay connected, and give everything they have, you are always going to feel like you have a great shot.”
Next game: Wednesday at 7 pm vs. No. 4 Allegheny
No. 2 SAINT VINCENT (14-2, 6-1 PAC)
While Grove City gets all of the acclaim, one would think Saint Vincent is itching for another opportunity to play the Wolverines. Or maybe just finding themselves in another PAC title game, gunning for a chance to win it all. According to head coach Zachery Wilfong, getting to that final game last season gives them an advantage for this postseason.
“We’ve been in that environment before. Being in the conference title last year was a huge learning experience for our program. No one on our roster last year had previously played in a PAC title game. I believe that experience will carry over into this year’s playoff games.”
The Bearcats beat No. 3 Westminster 10-5 earlier this season and their lone loss came at the hands of Grove City. Like the Wolverines, Saint Vincent dominated PAC play outside of that matchup, winning its six conference games by an average of over 17 goals. They also averaged over 20 goals per game in those matchups, establishing a ridiculous scoring pace. All this to say…this team is just as dangerous and capable of making a title run as anybody. But despite some of the gaudy numbers, Wilfong believes that playing with an extra tenacity is what really defines this team.
“When we are playing well, we are playing physical, smart defense, we’re sharing the ball on offense and we’re playing up-tempo, fast transition. From an identity standpoint, I just think we are Gritty team. It’s not always the prettiest, but we leave it all on the field.”
Jacob Visalli and Jordan Billet provide a lethal one-two punch, ranking second and fifth in goals per game. Visalli scored three times in Saint Vincent’s win over Westminster this season. Caleb Hawkins is also finished 4th in the conference in points.
In addition to their offensive prowess, the Bearcats own the lowest goals against average and the top penalty-killing percentage in the conference this season (.811), something that could come in handy if/when they get into trouble against the top man-up team in the PA, Westminster.
Next game: Wednesday at 4 pm vs. No. 3 Westminster
No. 3 WESTMINSTER (10-6, 5-2 PAC)
The Titans have been just a step behind Grove City and Saint Vincent all season long. They were third in goals and points per game, while tossing the most shots on goal and scoring the most man-up goals per game.
The Titans also control the ball well, ranking second to last in turnovers while causing the most turnovers per game in the PAC.
Westminster will try to avenge their loss to Saint Vincent during the regular season, a game in which they were held to a season-low five goals in a 10-5 defeat.
They’ve got a great candidate to put more shots in the net with the PAC’s top scorer in Nick Hubner. Hubner was one of two players in the conference to score 50+ goals (55) and finished third in points as well. Ryan Greer is right behind him in points production, tying for fourth in the PAC in that category and making himself another viable candidate to provide more offense in this semifinal rematch.
No. 4 ALLEGHENY (8-7, 4-3 PAC)
The Gators alternated wins and losses over the final seven games of the regular season, unfortunately losing every game to teams who are in the semifinals with them.
It was a 15-6 loss to Grove City on Senior Day, a game they hope to learn from and make the necessary adjustments to give themselves a chance in this rematch.
Offensively, Aidan D’Amato cracked the top 10 in assists and shots per game this season. Jack Cushwa scored twice in their last game against Grove City, both assisted by Harrison Seabold.
The Gators are also solid on the penalty kill (3rd in PAC) and don’t get themselves into man down situations very often having only taken 40 penalties this season (2nd in PAC).
