MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Meadville's own Nick Gralewski (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) powered the Allegheny College men's lacrosse team to a pivotal 11-8 victory over Chatham University on Wednesday night at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

Despite a two-hour delay due to thunderstorms in the area, the Gators (8-5, 6-0 PAC) raced out of the starting gates with authority. Allegheny scored the game's first five goals and shut the Cougars (7-7, 2-3 PAC) out in the first quarter.

Gralewski was partly responsible for the red-hot start. The local product scored two goals in a span of 62 seconds and completed his hat trick with Allegheny's fourth tally at the 7:11 mark in the opening quarter. The fourth-year midfielder ended the night with career highs in points (5) and goals (4) and surpassed his previous single-season high with 24 goals on the year.

Defense also played a crucial role in Allegheny's lowest-scoring Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup of the 2024 campaign. The Gators caused a season-high 21 turnovers, led by defenseman Cassady Bouthet (Vernon, Conn./Rockville), who ended the contest with team-highs in caused turnovers (4) and ground balls (6).

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny edged Chatham in shots (43-to-38) and ground balls (39-to-37).
• Chatham had a slight advantage in faceoff wins by winning 12-of-22.
• The two teams combined for only one man-up goal out of eight total extra-man opportunities.
• Gralewski led all Gators with five points and four goals.
• JP Rakis (Kensington, Md./Walter Johnson) added four points (3g-1a) and caused three turnovers.
• Jack Cushwa (Martinsburg, W.Va./Martinsburg) and Gideon Sullivan (Getzville, N.Y./Cathedral (Ind.)) each scored twice.
• In addition to Bouthet's four caused turnovers, Allegheny received three from fellow long-pole Jared Swisher (Cumberland, Maine/Berwick Academy) and two from LSM Konrad Homiak (Hampstead, N.C./Topsail).
• Homiak, Garin Stearns (Hudson, Ohio/Revere), and Anthony DeMarco (Olmsted Falls, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) each picked up five ground balls.
• Stearns made 11 saves and allowed only eight goals in 60 minutes between the pipes.
• Isaac Joshi (3g) and Jacob Labawy (1g-2a) led the Chatham offense with three points apiece.

News and Notes

• The longest win streak in program history is now at five consecutive games.
• Allegheny improved to 6-0 in PAC play and has clinched a home semifinal game in the conference tournament.
• With eight wins, the Gators tied last year's record for the most wins in a season.
• Allegheny has won back-to-back meetings against Chatham and now leads the all-time series 2-1.
• Gralewski's five points and four goals are both single-game career-highs.
• With 170 saves, Stearns has set a new program record for the most in a season.

Up Next
On Saturday, April 20, the Gators will travel to Grove City College for their toughest game of the season against the four-time defending PAC champions. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.