JCU Women's Lacrosse set for first ever OAC Championship game

5/1/2021 11:49:00 AM | By: By: Kyle Kelly, Senior Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- It's been a year like no other. That's a good thing for the John Carroll University Women's Lacrosse team.

For the first time in program history, the Blue Streaks are set for an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship game. This evening, John Carroll will take on Mount Union at Don Shula Stadium at 5 p.m. On Thursday, April 29, the Blue and Gold took down the Otterbein Cardinals, 18-8, to win their first ever OAC Tournament game. The program became a varsity sport in 2015.

Don Shula Stadium has become a fortress for the Blue Streaks, as the team holds an 8-0 record on its home turf in 2021. The Blue and Gold haven't lost in University Heights since April 10, 2018.

Under Head Coach Rachel Dell, who is in her seventh season at the helm of John Carroll, the team has an NCAA-best 15 wins and one loss. The Blue Streaks started out the 2021 campaign blazing hot, winning their first 13 games in a row and scoring at least 15 goals in each contest. This season, JCU is beating opponents by an average of 16 goals in each game.

Graduate player, Colleen Grombala, has anchored the scoring with 89 goals — a mark that ranks the best in the nation. Grombala has netted 271 goals in her career coming into today's game, which ranks second among all active NCAA Division III players throughout their career. In the 25-1 win against Muskingum on April 24, Grombala set a program record with 11 assists; her 27 assists through 16 games also leads the team. Grombala holds records at JCU for goals and goals in a game.

Accompanying Grombala on the offensive end, the junior duo of Jenna Ginsberg (31 goals, 15 assists) and Alex Heishman (29 goals, 14 assists) have been steady all year long, tallying 46 and 43 points respectively. Sophomore Kendall Gessner has settled into the role as JCU's secondary goal scorer with 35 goals on the season.

The emergence of freshman Olivia Hanulak has been another bright spot for the Blue Streaks. Hanulak, who has only played 16 games in her collegiate career, accompanies Grombala, Ginsberg and Heishman as the only players on the team to have tallied double-digits in both goals (10) and assists (14).

Defensively, Mary Doherty (13 starts) and Molly Carroll (14 starts) have played a big role in limiting opponents to 16 shots per game. Doherty leads the team with 35 ground balls. Also in the back end, Carly Ross has wreaked havoc with a team-best 20 caused turnovers; Carroll has registered 19.

In goal, Kaleigh Kotula has had a stellar season. The senior has started in all but one game, compiling a 12-1 record. Kotula's 53.7% save percentage not only leads the OAC but also ranks No. 25 in the nation.

This will be the ninth all-time meeting between the two programs. Mount Union holds the all-time advantage, 6-2. Earlier this season the Blue Streaks took down the Purple Raiders 19-3 on March 10. The second matchup, which was set for April 21, was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.

You can this evening's game here and follow along with live stats here.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories

Sponsors