WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Only a brief, two-goal flurry early in the fourth quarter Thursday night from top-seeded Washington & Jefferson prevented the Grove City College women's lacrosse team from earning its second straight Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament title game berth as the Wolverines closed the 2023 season with a 9-8 setback at W&J in the conference tournament semifinals at Alexandre Stadium.

Fifth-seeded Grove City carried an 8-7 lead into the fourth quarter but W&J's Emily Heck scored to tie the game with 10:06 left. Heck scored 60 seconds later to break the 8-8 tie. 

Grove City trailed 5-4 at halftime but sophomore midfielder Abby Roetering (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg) tied the game with 12:18 remaining in the third quarter after receiving an assist from sophomore midfielder Mara Polczynski (Irwin, Pa./Norwin). Polczynski then broke the 5-5 deadlock with an unassisted goal at the 4:56 mark.

Senior midfielder Madison Nazigian (Forest, Va./Jefferson Forest) and sophomore defender Sarah Jackson (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) scored unassisted goals in a 42-second span later in the third quarter to give Grove City an 8-6 advantage.

Nazigian led Grove City with four goals while Polczynski posted a five-point night with two goals and three assists. Sophomore attack Meah Groves (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) added an assist for Grove City.

Nazigian, sophomore defender Emily Arnold (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) and sophomore goalie Elyse Kiggins (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) all collected three ground balls. Sophomore defender Amber Wartman (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) recorded four draw controls. Jackson caused two turnovers.

Kiggins matched a season high by stopping 12 shots. W&J outshot Grove City, 28-25. Grove City had 23 turnovers while W&J finished with 18 turnovers. 

W&J will host second-seeded Allegheny in Saturday's title game. W&J downed Grove City in the 2022 conference title bout.

Grove City will lose senior midfielder Meredith Basham (Olathe, Kan./Olathe East) to graduation. Nazigian, who scored a Grove City-record 80 goals this season, plans to exercise her remaining year of eligibility in 2024. The 2023 season marked the second season of intercollegiate varsity women's lacrosse at the College.