MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Cold temperatures and a few inches of snow may have delayed the start of Wednesday's matchup, but they didn't stop the Allegheny College men's lacrosse team from beating Thiel College, 14-3.

The win is Allegheny's (5-4, 1-0 PAC) third in a row and marks the Gators' first-ever Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory. The Gators also continued to play suffocating defense and haven't allowed an opponent to reach double-digit goals in their last six contests.

Nine different players earned a point for the Blue and Gold, including five multi-point performances. Jack Cushwa (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) led all scorers with a game-high five points (4g-1a), followed by JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson) and Nick Gralewski (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) with four points apiece.

Aiding the cause offensively was a dominant effort at the faceoff dot. For the first time this spring, Allegheny controlled action on the draw, thanks to Ryan Therkorn (Falls Church, Va./George C. Marshall). Therkorn finished 11-of-13 with a team-high nine ground balls.

Allegheny netted nine of the first 10 goals en route to a lopsided 9-1 lead midway through the second quarter. Both Cushwa and Gralewski completed their hat tricks by the second quarter, as the Gators carried a 10-2 lead into the halftime break. Although Allegheny was held without a goal in the third quarter, it never let the Tomcats (2-6, 0-2 PAC) come any closer than seven goals at 10-3.

Inside the Box Score

• Both teams recorded 34 shots, but the Gators had a 26-to-11 lead in shots on goal.
• Allegheny won 15-of-21 faceoffs.
• The Gators were also 2-of-3 on extra-man opportunities, while the Tomcats were only 1-for-3.
• Cushwa paced all players with four goals and five points.
• Rakis (2g-2a) and Gralewski (3g-1a) each had four points.
• Gideon Sullivan (Getzville, N.Y. /Cathedral (Ind.)) and CT Graniel (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) both produced a pair of goals.
• Long-stick defensemen Cassady Bouthet (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) and Dillon D'Amato (Tolland, Conn/Tolland) each dished out an assist.
• Therkorn led all faceoff men with 11 wins on 13 attempts and picked up nine ground balls.
• Bouthet caused a game-high three turnovers and collected six ground balls.
• David Kratzenberg (Latrobe, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) made six saves and allowed three goals in 40:11 to secure the victory for the Gators in goal.

News and Notes

• Allegheny increased its record to above .500 with its third consecutive win.
• The Gators won their first-ever PAC contest and were victorious in their conference opener for the first time in program history.
• Four goals and five points are a season-high for Cushwa.
• Rakis and Cushwa have produced a point in all nine games in 2023.
• With his fourth win in cage, Kratzenberg has tied the program record for most goalie wins in a season.

Up Next
On Wednesday, April 5, the Gators will travel to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, for a PAC showdown against Westminster College at 7:00 p.m.