MADELYN CONRAD
STAFF WRITER
In its final game of the 2019 season, the Franciscan University men’s lacrosse team fell to Grove City College 21-3 after a seven-point deficit in the first quarter left them unable to recover Saturday afternoon.
The Barons faced a tough first quarter as the Grove City Wolverines dominated the field. After just six minutes of play, Grove City tallied seven goals, making the score 7-0.
Senior midfielder Danny McCartney ended the Wolverine’s streak, putting the Barons on the board, as he scooped up the ball in transition and made his 31st goal of the season with 8:50 to go.
The Wolverines added two more points to their score, making their lead 9-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Five minutes into the second quarter, junior midfield Joe Bartholomaus scored the second goal for the Barons and his third of the season after an assist from freshman midfield Jonathan Bookwalter. However, the Wolverines played tough and closed out the first half with a three-point run that stretched their lead to 12-1.
With six straight goals to open the third quarter, Grove City extended its lead 18-2. But McCartney scored his 33rd goal of the year with 2:11 left in the third, cutting the lead back to 18-3. With 1:17 left to play in the quarter, Grove City closed the quarter with the team’s 19th goal.
Unfortunately, despite the Baron’s effort in the fourth, the Wolverines scored the last two points, leaving the final score in the favor of Grove City, 21-3.
Sophomore goalie Grant McKeown made 16 saves in the game. Sophomore defender William Muraski cleaned up defensively with five ground balls and caused five turnovers. McCartney led the Barons with six ground balls.
Head coach Pete Rosaschi wanted to thank his seniors for four years of lacrosse: “Those guys really worked hard and deserve a lot of credit. For our young guys — can’t wait to get back to work next year.”
This was the Barons’ final game of their first year in the PAC conference. They will take the experience from this year’s season into the next when they start again in the spring of 2020.