YORK, Pa. -- In a game that featured seven lead changes and six ties, the Grove City College men's lacrosse team dropped a 14-13 decision Friday night to Denison in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, hosted by York (Pa.) College at Kinsley Field.

Grove City (15-5) took its final lead of the game, 13-12, with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter when senior midfielder Jed Speers (Medina, Ohio/Medina) fired in an unassisted goal

Denison tied the game 21 seconds later when Luke Fisher scored. Fisher then assisted Nate Kay's eventual game-winning goal with 2:24 left in the game.

Grove City trailed 7-3 midway through the second quarter but scored four times in the final 4:19 of the half to tie the game. Freshman attack Matt Blythe (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) sparked the comeback when he scored off an assist from junior attack James Petrolle (Damascus, Md./Damascus). Senior midfielder Michael La Forte (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) and sophomore Elijah Gebhart (Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran) also scored, trimming the lead to 7-6.

Freshman attack Zachary Hougan (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) then tied the game by scoring an unassisted goal with one second left in the half.

Grove City surged ahead by scoring three times in the first five minutes of the second half. Blythe scored twice in that span and senior midfielder Brett Gladstone (Marriottsville, Md./Marriots Ridge) also scored. 

Denison led 11-10 after three quarters, however, but Blythe tied the game with 13:54 left. Senior Grant Evans (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) won the subsequent faceoff and scored the go-ahead goal 14 seconds later. 

Blythe led Grove City with four goals while Gebhart, Gladstone and Hougan scored twice. La Forte recorded a team-leading three assists while Blythe assisted two goals. Gladstone, Hougan and freshman midfielder Trey Zabroski (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) all tallied assists.

Evans won 15 of 30 faceoffs and led Grove City with seven ground balls. Junior defender Bailey Decker (Howard, Pa./Bellefonte) and freshman defender Zach Furry (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) both caused two turnovers.

Sophomore goalie Danny Stone (Chantilly, Va./Flint Hill) stopped nine shots. Grove City out-shot Denison (16-4), 55-42. Grove City had 15 turnovers while Denison turned over possession 13 times. Denison had a 38-30 edge in ground balls. 

Friday's game marked the second meeting between the teams this season. Grove City earned a 14-10 home win March 30 over Denison. Denison will play York at 7 p.m. Saturday in the third round of the tournament. York defeated Southern Virginia in Friday's lidlifter, 18-8.

Grove City's 15 wins this season are the most in program history.