Ohio Wesleyan Bows Out of NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tourney

DELAWARE, OH - In the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament, Ohio Wesleyan (11-7) dropped a 14-9 loss to Grove City (14-7).
The Wolverines now advance to face second- and third-round host Lynchburg on Saturday, May 9, at 12:00 p.m. The regional rounds continue Sunday, May 10, with a berth into the national quarterfinals at stake.
GROVE CITY (14-7) 14, OHIO WESLEYAN (11-7) 9
  • Grove City opened the game with seven unanswered goals in the first quarter to take early control. First-year Max Kemp (Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern) got the Battling Bishops on the board with an unassisted goal at 1:47, sending Ohio Wesleyan into the second quarter trailing 7-1.
  • Ohio Wesleyan settled in defensively in the second quarter, holding Grove City to a single goal. Kemp scored his second of the game at the 10:08 mark off an assist from junior Wade Beckstrom (Devon, PA/Conestoga) to cut the deficit to 7-2. After Grove City pushed the margin to 8-2, Beckstrom connected on a man-up goal off a feed from junior Henry Ross (Snoqualmie, WA/Mount Si) with five seconds remaining in the half, sending the Bishops into intermission trailing 8-3.
  • Beckstrom opened the third quarter with a goal off an assist from senior Garrett Smith (Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern) at 13:52 to cut the deficit to 8-4. After Grove City answered, Beckstrom struck again with an unassisted goal at 10:29 to make it 9-5. The Wolverines pushed the lead back to five, but Beckstrom found the net for the third time in the quarter at 8:13, and Smith added an unassisted goal at 7:03 to bring Ohio Wesleyan within three at 10-7. After Grove City extended the lead to 11-7, junior Carson Fialho (Pleasanton, CA/De La Salle) responded for the Bishops at 3:03 to make it 11-8. The Wolverines closed the period with another goal to take a 12-8 lead into the fourth quarter.
  • Grove City extended the lead to 14-8 with a pair of fourth-quarter goals before Beckstrom completed the scoring with his fifth goal of the game at 0:44 off an assist from senior Will Siegenthaler (Elmhurst, IL/York), capping the 14-9 final.
  • Beckstrom led the Bishops with five goals and one assist for six points, while Kemp added two goals and Smith contributed one goal and one assist. Senior Noah Citek (Long Beach, CA/St. John Bosco) won six of 13 faceoffs and sophomore Simon Hall (Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Northern) took eight of 13 to give Ohio Wesleyan a 14-12 edge at the X. Junior goalkeeper Jason Mosher (Hilton, NY/Hilton) finished with seven saves.
  • As a team, Ohio Wesleyan outshot Grove City 42-28, and the Bishops went 1-for-4 on the man-up.
  • The loss closes the 2026 season for Ohio Wesleyan, which finished 11-7 overall and 6-2 in NCAC play. The Battling Bishops earned a shared of the NCAC title and collected the 2026 NCAC tournament title.

Related Stories

Related Videos

Now Playing: