GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Allegheny College women's lacrosse team handed Grove City College its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) loss of the season in a crucial 14-8 victory at Robert E. Thorn Field on Saturday afternoon.

The win over the Wolverines (11-4, 6-1 PAC) puts Allegheny (7-6, 6-1 PAC) in the driver's seat to earn a first-round bye and hosting rights for a semifinal game in the upcoming PAC Championship Tournament. The Gators are tied for second in the PAC standings with Grove City and now own the tiebreaker over the Wolverines.

The Gators outscored the host Wolverines in every quarter, and if it wasn't for a handful of cards, Allegheny might have won by more. Three of Grove City's goals, including their first two, came with an extra-woman advantage. Despite the woman-up scores, Allegheny scored four in a row to pull ahead 7-2 by the 10:07 mark in the second quarter and led 8-4 at the half.

First-year midfielder Katherine Surdykowski (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington County Regional) was a thorn in the Wolverines' side all afternoon. In addition to season-highs in points (5) and goals (4), the rookie collected nine ground balls, won five draws, and caused four turnovers. Surdykowski netted back-to-back goals in the third to extend the lead to 11-5, and Lauren Petrarca (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) was responsible for all three Allegheny tallies in the fourth to secure the victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny finished with more shots (37-to-24), ground balls (37-to-25), and draw controls (13-to-12).
• The Gators were awarded twice as many free position shots and cashed in on 3-of-6 attempts.
• Surdykowski led all players in points (5), ground balls (9), and caused turnovers (4).
• Petrarca matched Surdykowski with a team-high-tying four goals.
• Emily Herrold (Hampstead, Md./Manchester Valley) and Ema Caragein (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) each had four points.
• Kennedy Kyle (Seven Fields, Pa./Seneca Valley) scored once, and Ashley Amato (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) netted two goals.
• On defense, Sybi Gerhart (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) caused three turnovers, while Jamie Marchewka (Buffalo, N.Y./Amherst Central) had two and Amelia Henderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) had one.
• Sarah Thorman (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) stopped 10 shots and allowed only eight goals to earn the win in goal.

News and Notes

• Allegheny has won six consecutive games, all against PAC opponents.
• The Gators are now 3-0 all-time against the Wolverines.
• Saturday's win will have serious playoff implications, as the Gators are tied for second in the standings with Grove City but hold the tiebreaker over the Wolverines.
• Five points and four goals are season-highs for Surdykowski.

Up Next
Allegheny visits Waynesburg University for a 6:00 p.m. matchup on Wednesday, April 24.